Make sure children ages 12 and younger are always properly buckled in the back seat in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt—whichever is appropriate for their age, weight, and height.

Reduce Their Risk

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. In 2020, 607 child passengers* ages 12 and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and more than 63,000 were injured. Of the children who were killed in a crash, 38%^† were not buckled up. Parents and caregivers can make a lifesaving difference by ensuring that their children are properly buckled on every trip.

Data show:

• Car seat use reduces the risk for injury in crashes by 71–82% for children, compared with seat belt use alone.
• Booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for children ages 4–8, compared with seat belt use alone.
• Seat belt use reduces the risk for death and serious injury by about half for older children and adults.

Know the Stages

Make sure children are properly buckled in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt—whichever is appropriate for their age, weight, and heigh

Install and use car seats and booster seats according to the car seat/booster seat manual. You can get help installing them from a certified child passenger safety technician.

Buckle all children ages 12 and younger in the back seat.

• Buckle children in the middle of the back seat, when possible (using a lap and shoulder belt), because it is typically the safest position in the vehicle.
• Air bags can kill young children riding in the front seat. Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an air bag.
• Buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts on every trip—no matter how short the trip.
• Set a good example and help protect everyone in the car by always using a seat belt.

Heatstroke is one of the leading causes of non-crash-related fatalities among children. Vehicle heatstroke occurs when a child is left in a hot vehicle, allowing for the child’s temperature to rise in a quick and deadly manner. Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees and the thermoregulatory system is overwhelmed. A core body temperature of about 107 degrees is lethal. Unfortunately, even great parents can forget a child in the back seat. Other risk factors include caregivers who aren’t used to driving kids, or whose routine suddenly changes.

Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or bystander of a child left in a car, it’s vitally important to understand children are more vulnerable to heatstroke than adults.

Prevention Tips

• Look before you lock. Make it a habit to look before you lock, and try these tips to avoid putting children at risk of heatstroke.
• Keep your vehicle locked and keep your keys out of reach; nearly 3 in 10 heatstroke deaths happen when an unattended child gains access to a vehicle.
• TAKE ACTION if you notice a child alone in a car! Protecting children is everyone’s business—learn what to do if you see a child alone in a car.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• It is never okay to leave a child alone in or around a car for any reason.
• Even in cooler temperatures, your vehicle can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly. An outside temperature in the mid-60s can cause a vehicle’s inside temperature to rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The inside temperature of your car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes.
• Heatstroke does not only occur during the summertime or in the Sun Belt States. This deadly issue can occur at any time of year, in any weather condition, in any community—for any parent.

Children dying from heatstroke in cars, either because they were left or became trapped, has increased in recent years. In 2018 and 2019, a record 53 children died of vehicular heatstroke each year. Just this year, nine children have lost their lives.

Heatstroke Facts

The majority of hot car deaths — 53% — happen because someone forgets a child in a car. You may be asking yourself: How does this happen? Families who lost a loved one thought the same thing at one point, but then the tragedy happened to them. In 2019, we saw the highest number of deaths, 53, because children were forgotten, according to Jan Null, who has been tracking vehicular heatstroke deaths since 1998. Among the trends he discovered over the years:

• About 46% of the time when a child was forgotten, the caregiver meant to drop the child off at a daycare or preschool.
• Thursdays and Fridays — the end of the workweek — have had the highest deaths.
• More than half of the deaths (54%) are children under 2 years old.

Tips for Keeping Children Safe

Check for Baby

Parents and caregivers, get in the habit of always looking inside your car before locking the doors. Remember: Park. Look. Lock. And always ask yourself, "Where's Baby?"

Other Tips for Adults with Kids in the Car

• Place a briefcase, purse, or cell phone next to the child’s car seat so that you’ll always check the back seat before leaving the car.
• Keep a stuffed animal or another memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty. Move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat.
• Set a rule for your child care provider; have them call you if your child doesn’t arrive as scheduled.

Everyone Should Keep Their Car Locked

Vehicular heatstroke deaths don’t just happen when a child is forgotten. The second leading cause — 26% — of such deaths are children getting into unattended vehicles. Get in the habit of always locking your car doors and trunk, year-round. The temperature inside a car can reach over 115 degrees when the outside temperature is just 70 degrees.

Tips for Keeping Kids Out of Cars

• Never let children play in an unattended vehicle. Teach them a vehicle is not a play area.
• Keep car keys out of a child’s reach.
• If a child is missing, quickly check all vehicles, including the trunk.

Never Leave a Child Alone

While all types of vehicular heatstroke deaths are preventable, the third leading cause of these deaths — knowingly leaving a child — is the most preventable. Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even with the windows rolled down or the air conditioning on. A child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult’s.

See a Child Alone in a Vehicle?

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, make sure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call 911 immediately.

• If the child appears to be okay, attempt to locate the parents; if at a public place, have the facility page the car owner over an intercom system.
• If the child is not responsive and appears to be in distress, attempt to get into the car to assist the child—even if that means breaking a window. Many states have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect people from lawsuits for getting involved to help a person in an emergency.

Remember: Kids and hot cars can be a deadly combination. Don’t take the chance. Always look in the front and back of the vehicle before locking the door and walking away.

If you see a child alone in a car, don’t worry about getting involved in someone else’s business—protecting children is everyone’s business; besides, “Good Samaritan” laws offer legal protection for those who offer assistance in an emergency.

Here’s What You Can Do

Don’t wait more than a few minutes for the driver to return.

• If the child is not responsive or is in distress, immediately:
  • Call 911.
  • Get the child out of the car.
  • Spray the child with cool water (not in an ice bath).
• If the child is responsive:
  • Stay with the child until help arrives.
  • Have someone else search for the driver or ask the facility to page them.

Warning Signs of Heatstroke

• Red, hot, and moist or dry skin
• No sweating
• Strong, rapid pulse or slow, weak pulse
• Nausea
• Confusion or strange behavior

Always Look Before You Lock

• Always check the back seats of your vehicle before your lock it and walk away.
• Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat.
• If someone else is driving your child, or your daily routine has been altered, always check to make sure your child has arrived safely.

Keep in Mind a Child’s Sensitivity to Heat

• In 10 minutes, a car’s temperature can rise about 20 degrees.
• Even at an outside temperature of 70 degrees, the temperature inside your car can reach over 115 degrees.
• A child can die when his/her body temperature reaches 107 degrees.

Understand the Potential Consequences of Kids in Hot Cars

• Severe injury or death of the child
• Being arrested and jailed
• A lifetime of regret

Whether you’re a parent, caregiver or bystander of a child left in a car, it’s important to understand risk factors contributing to child heatstroke. Answer these questions to see how much you know.

True or false: It’s never okay to leave your child alone in a car, even for a few minutes, and even if the car is on.

TRUE

It’s never okay to leave a child alone in a car, even for a few minutes, and even if the car is on.

True or false: Opening windows will prevent heatstroke.

FALSE

Opening windows will not prevent heatstroke

True or false: Children overheat up to five times faster than adults.

TRUE

Children overheat up to five times faster than adults.

True or false: Heatstroke can’t happen on cloudy days or in outside temperatures below 70 degrees.

FALSE

Heatstroke can happen on cloudy days and in outside temperatures below 70 degrees.

True or false: It’s okay to let kids play in an unattended vehicle.

FALSE

Do not let kids play in an unattended vehicle.

Many children are killed or seriously injured in backover incidents. A backover incident typically occurs when a vehicle coming out of a driveway or parking space backs over an unattended child because the driver did not see him or her.

Prevention Tips

• Teach children not to play in or around cars.
• Always walk around your vehicle and check the area around it before backing up.
• Be aware of small children—the smaller a child, the more likely it is you will not see them.
• Teach children to move away from a vehicle when a driver gets in it or if the car is started.
• Have children in the area stand to the side of the driveway or sidewalk so you can see them as you are backing out of a driveway or parking space.
• Make sure to look behind you while backing up slowly in case a child dashes behind your vehicle unexpectedly.
• Roll down your windows while backing out of your driveway or parking space so that you'll be able to hear what is happening outside of your vehicle.
• Teach your children to keep their toys and bikes out of the driveway.
• Because kids can move unpredictably, you should actively check your mirrors while backing up.
• Many cars are equipped with detection devices that provide rearview video or warning sounds, but they cannot completely take the place of actively walking around your car to make sure children are safely out of the way. Do not rely solely on these devices to detect what is behind your vehicle.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• Backover can happen when you least expect it. Never leave a child alone in or around a vehicle.

Children can hurt themselves with power windows. Many kids are injured when a window closes on their finger, wrist, or hand. Some kids have been strangled by power windows.

Prevention Tips

• Teach your children not to play with window switches.
• Teach your children not to stand on passenger door arm rests.
• Properly restrain your children in car seats or seat belts to prevent them from accidentally activating power windows and sunroofs.
• Look and make sure your kids' hands, feet, and head, are clear of windows before raising the windows.
• Never leave the key in the ignition or in the "on" or "accessory" position when you walk away from your car.
• If available, activate the power window lock switch so that your children cannot play with the windows.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• Your car may have child safety settings for power windows, but that doesn’t mean your child will not find a way to test the system. Never leave your children alone in a vehicle for any reason.
• All model year 2010 vehicles and newer will have "pull to close" switches, which require you to pull up on them to close the window. Older vehicles may have window switches that a child can accidentally step or put weight on, easily causing a window to close.
• Some vehicles have power windows that automatically reverse when an object (such as your child's arm or neck) is in the path of a closing window. Check both the individual vehicle rating pages on nhtsa.gov and your owner's manual to see if a vehicle is equipped with this safety technology.

A child within reach of a seat belt may become entangled if he or she pulls the seat belt all the way out and wraps the belt around his or her head, neck, or waist.

The majority of seat belts have a locking mechanism that is activated when the seat belt is pulled all the way out from the retractor. This feature is designed for car seat installation. In instances when the locking feature activates, the child may not be able to free him or herself.

This can happen if you do not properly restrain your child, for example, if you let the child lie down or sleep on the vehicle seat instead of being properly restrained. Older children who are no longer in a car seat can become entangled by pulling a seat belt all the way out of the retractor or by playing with an unused seat belt.

Prevention Tips

• Do not let children play in or around cars.
• Always ensure children are properly restrained.
• Teach children that seat belts are not toys.
• Be aware that some seat belts have a retractor that locks if pulled all the way out.
• If a child has an unused seat belt within reach, buckle unused seat belts. Pull the seat belt out all the way to the end without yanking. Then, feed the excess webbing back into the retractor.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• Seat belt entanglement can happen in the blink of an eye. Never leave your children alone in or around a vehicle for any reason.

Children are naturally curious and love to explore their surroundings. If you leave your kids unattended, in or near a vehicle, it may not be long before they are playing in it. Hide and seek can turn deadly if they get trapped in the trunk, where temperatures can rise very quickly—resulting in heatstroke or asphyxiation.

As of September 1, 2001, automobile manufacturers are required to equip all new vehicle trunks with a 'glow in the dark' trunk release inside the trunk compartment. Show your kids how to use the release in case of an emergency. If your car is older and does not have the 'glow in the dark' trunk release, ask your automobile dealership about getting your vehicle retrofitted with a trunk release mechanism.

Prevention Tips

• Teach children that vehicle trunks are for cargo, not for playing.
• Check the trunk right away if your child is missing.
• Lock your car doors and trunk and be sure keys and remote entry devices are out of sight and reach of your kids.
• Keep the rear fold-down seats closed/locked to keep your children from climbing into the trunk from inside your car.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• Many factors can contribute to trunk entrapment injury or death. Always supervise your child and never leave him or her alone in or around a vehicle for any reason.
• Younger children are more sensitive to heat than older children and adults, and are at greater risk for heatstroke.
• High temperature, humidity, and poor ventilation create an extremely dangerous environment in a vehicle trunk.
• Check the trunk right away if your child is missing.
• Trunk entrapment has similar risks to heatstroke: Even in cooler temperatures, your vehicle can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly. An outside temperature in the mid-60s can cause a vehicle’s inside temperature to rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The inside temperature of your car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes.

Brake Transmission Safety Interlock (BTSI) is a system that requires the service brake to be depressed before the transmission can be shifted out of “park.” Before the introduction of BTSI, it was possible to shift vehicles with automatic transmissions "out of park." Unfortunately, this safety risk could occur even if the vehicle's engine was off or in accessory mode, the driver's foot was not on the brake, and the key was in the ignition. This often led to vehicle rollaway, particularly with unsupervised children playing in vehicles.

BTSI was gradually added to new cars until it was finally required in all vehicles by Model Year 2010. As a result, this type of vehicle rollaway, while possible, is increasingly uncommon. However, vehicle rollaway can still be a problem in vehicles equipped with a keyless ignition or push-button start feature when the vehicle has been turned off and not shifted into park. This is why it is essential to always engage your emergency brake every time you park, regardless of the presence (or lack of) BTSI technology.

Prevention Tips

• Always ensure the vehicle is securely in the Park position before shutting the vehicle off and exiting.
• Supervise children carefully when in and around vehicles.
• Keep vehicle locked when unattended.
• Never leave keys in the car.
• Verify whether your vehicle has BTSI by reading the owner's manual.

What You Need to Know, Now.

• Vehicle rollaway can happen in an instant. Always supervise children and never leave them alone in or around a vehicle for any reason.
• When the vehicle is set in motion, a driver may try to jump into the rolling vehicle in an attempt to stop it, only to be injured or run over. Children can also be hurt inside the vehicle, especially if they are unbelted and the vehicle is in motion. Sometimes, the vehicle may end up running over someone else or into other vehicles. Safety equipment such as air bags are not operational when the vehicle is in the Off position.
• All vehicles with automatic transmission and a Park position, manufactured for sale after September 1, 2010, must have BTSI.
• A small but growing number of new vehicles have an automatic Shift-to-Park function which is a safety feature intended to prevent vehicles from accidentally being turned off without Park being engaged. Should the vehicle be turned off before being placed into Park, the vehicle will automatically shift the transmission to the Park position.