Everything You Need To Know About Vehicular Heatstroke

Learn how to make sure you don't suffer from heatstroke or heat exhaustion in the summer by learning what are the main risks and causes. 

During long, scorching summer days, the temperature inside a car can easily reach deadly figures, and children are the main victims. According to a study conducted in the US, an average of 37 children die every year because of vehicular heatstroke. In other words, they were left inside locked cars during high temperatures, which caused them to suffer heatstrokes.

But children are not the only ones prone to suffer a vehicular heatstroke. If you follow the news, you may have heard of a 32-yo former NFL football player who died of heatstroke during a heatwave in the summer of 2019. extreme heat is a genuine threat to our health and life, and when vehicles are involved, the risks are even greater.

How Long Does It Take To Suffer A Vehicular Heatstroke?

If you think there is such a thing as a “safe” period of time you could leave your kids inside a car in the summer to run a quick errand, think again. The authorities recommend you to never, under any circumstance, leave your children locked inside your car. No matter how short of an errand you might need to run, there is no telling what might come up and prevent you from getting back to your car. When it comes to heatstrokes, even a few seconds could have a huge difference between life and death. 

Some of the main symptoms of heat stroke include dizziness, fainting, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, disorientation and it could lead to internal organ failure and brain damage. 

It takes around 6 minutes for the temperature inside a parked vehicle sitting in the sun on a day with 95 degrees to reach 116 degrees on average. The dashboard is prone to get even hotter and reach around 157 degrees and the seats can easily go up to 123 degrees. Now try to picture your son, daughter, nephew, an elder family member or your dog being accidentally left inside such a car for an extended period of time. They could easily suffer a heatstroke with severe consequences on their well-being. Vehicular heatstrokes oftentimes occur because a parent or a legal guardian has to take their children out of the car when parking (it happens more often than you might think). Accidental car lockouts are the second culprit worth mentioning here.

Emergency Vehicle Unlock Services Can Prevent Vehicular Heatstroke

Car lockouts can occur because of a variety of reasons, ranging from drivers accidentally leaving their keys in when exiting their vehicle to a faulty lock mechanism or a broken key fob. Expert locksmith services like On Time Locksmiths specialize in emergency lockout services that could make the difference between a tragedy and a minor incident. If your child has been left inside the car without your knowledge, or they have accidentally locked themselves in, you should immediately call 911 or the nearest car locksmith in the area. At times, emergency services will partner up with expert locksmiths in order to offer the fastest and most accurate type of help possible.

Keep in mind the police have the legal right to stop cars in traffic and reach your location a lot faster than a regular locksmith. This is why your first call should be made to them. Keep in mind that for any other types of car lockout emergencies, you can freely call our dispatch number. We will immediately send the nearest mobile technician available and they will usually reach you within 30 minutes from placing your call.

How To Prevent Vehicular Heatstroke

For starters, make sure you never lock your child in the car, no matter how busy, stressed out or in a hurry you might be. Life happens and we make mistakes, but this one could cost your child his life or well-being. Here is what you could do:

• do not exit your car or have it locked until you are absolutely certain that your child is not on the back seat. Babies sleep a lot and without any sounds to remind you of their presence in your car, you could get easily carried away after a long drive and forget to take them out of their seat. Make it habit to always look behind you so you can avoid a potential vehicular heatstroke and avoid other related issues.

• place a stuffed animal or a shiny object that can be noticed easily on the front seat when your child is traveling in the back seat. Place the same object in the child's car seat when you are not traveling with your child. This way, you will be always reminded to take your child out of the car and replace him with the respective object.

• Have your laptop, a purse or a bag you never get out of the car without placed on the back seat so you are reminded to always check that your child is out of the car when leaving your vehicle.

• Similarly, have your smartphone placed on the floor in the back of the car. You will not only successfully avoid texting and driving, but you will also be forced to open the back door or at least look behind and retrieve your phone when getting out of the car. We carry our phones on us almost 24/7 and we are very little likely to go anywhere without them, so it's a good strategy worth considering.

• Make sure your children's caregiver gets in touch with you as soon as they notice your child has not been dropped off at daycare or kindergarten as per the usual schedule in the morning.

Vehicular heatstroke should be handled with the utmost seriousness. There are special safety apps and bracelets that your children can wear to remind you to never leave your child behind when leaving your car. For any car lock emergency, feel free to get in touch with us. Call 911 is your child or someone you know is locked inside a car in the summer.