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Hot Cars Press Release 2025
On National Heatstroke Prevention Day Grieving Families and Kids and Car Safety Call on DOT Secretary Duffy to Require Lifesaving Technology in New Cars to Stop Tragic and Needless Child Deaths
After 25+ Years of Pushing Public Education, Children Are Still Dying at Record Rates
May 1, 2025 – Washington, D. C. – On National Heatstroke Prevention Day , more than 100 grieving family members joined forces with Kids and Car Safety to demand immediate action from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).In a letter to recently appointed Secretary Sean Duffy, families from across the country urged DOT to finally complete a long-overdue safety standard mandated by law requiring every new vehicle to be equipped with occupant detection technology–a proven, available, and affordable solution to prevent children from dying in hot cars.
“After more than two decades of public education, children are still dying at alarming and record-breaking rates. We know what works. Technology can—and must—be an essential part of the solution,” said Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Car Safety.
The numbers are staggering:
- More than 1,125 children have died in hot cars since 1990.*
- At least 7,500 more have survived with a range of injuries—many life-altering.*
“Hot car tragedies are every parent’s worst nightmare. And they don’t happen because someone didn’t love their child enough,” Fennell continued. “They happen because we’re human—and even the strongest love can’t compete with the limits of human memory.”
Most of us couldn’t get through the day without calendar pop-ups or phone alarms reminding us of appointments.
We already rely on reminder technologies in our everyday lives and our vehicles already have many examples:
- Your car alerts you if you forget and leave your headlights on.
- It reminds you to change your oil or check your tire pressure.
- Lets you know if you are running low on fuel or reminds you to buckle up.
If we use these systems to protect our vehicles, why not our children?
Neuroscience confirms that memory cannot be trained not to forget. When the forgotten is a sleeping baby in the back seat, the result can be catastrophic—and preventable.
To amplify this message, Kids and Car Safety , along with partners Safe Kids Worldwide , Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)…
How You Can Help:
- Share our materials on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, newsletters, and blogs.
Join the conversation using these sample social media posts:
- A detection system can prevent hot car deaths. #HeatstrokeKills #HotCarsKill #LookBeforeYouLock
- Technology exists to stop hot car deaths—what are we waiting for? #LookBeforeYouLock #HeatstrokeKills #HotCarsKill
- In-vehicle technology can detect and alert us when a child is left behind. Let’s use that power. #HeatstrokeKills #HotCarsKill #LookBeforeYouLock
- If you see a child or pet alone in a vehicle, don’t wait—call 911 immediately. #HotCarsKill #LookBeforeYouLock #HeatstrokeKills
- Ask childcare to call you if your baby doesn’t show up as planned! #heatstrokekills
While the fight for a safety regulation continues, families are encouraged to use Look Before You Lock tips to help build lifesaving habits. One simple strategy:
Always have a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. Each time you buckle them in, move the toy to the front seat to remind you they’re in the back. It costs nothing—but could save everything.
“Every day that passes without action puts more children at risk. This is a national crisis with a known solution. It’s time to use the technology that’s already in our hands,” said Fennell.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2025
CONTACT
Janette Fennell, (415) 336-9279, Janette@KidsAndCars.org
Susan Auriemma, (516) 721-2664, Susan@KidsAndCars.org
Horrible way to die: 23 children, 1 in Florida, have died so far after left in hot vehicles
The number of child hot car deaths in 2024 has risen to at least 23, more than triple the number reported in early July. Tragically, two children—a 1-year-old boy and a 10-month-old girl—died on the same day, August 13. Florida has also been affected, with one confirmed fatality and another pending an autopsy. These deaths highlight the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, where temperatures can reach lethal levels quickly, even on mild days. Experts urge parents to always check the backseat and keep vehicles locked with keys out of children's reach to prevent further tragedies.
She Lost Her Husband and Toddler in Hot Car Tragedy. Now Virginia Mom Fights to Save Others.
“It took losing my son and husband to understand that it can happen even to the most loving and attentive parents," Laura Beck tells PEOPLE
The death of an NC toddler is being told to warn parents & push for more safety regulations
Fiona, a 13-month-old died in Mebane. Her mom speaks through her grief for the first time.Nebraska woman arrested after death of 5-year-old who was left alone in car for hours
If the boy’s death is ruled to be from heat exposure, he will be at least the 10th child this year to die in a hot car, according to advocates, who want vehicles to have life-saving technology.
