Hot car dangers for children, pets spike as weather warms up
Officials say tragedies can be avoided by taking extra caution
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Preventing hot car tragedies this summer
ROANOKE, Va. – Whether the sun’s shining or just peeking through the clouds, as the temperatures rise, so does the risk of car-related deaths in children.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in both 2018 and 2019, a record 53 kids died from vehicular heatstroke. In 2020, due to the pandemic, that number dropped to 24. So far in 2021, one child has died.
Jill Lucas Drakeford, Carilion Children’s Safe Kids coordinator said those numbers don’t include close-calls.