Two young brothers, ages 3 and 1, died Saturday after getting into a hot car in Alabama, according to national tracker KidsAndCars.org.
The “tragic” twist of fate marks cases 16 and 17 of young people who have died as a result of furnace-like temperatures in cars this year, bringing the total to 124 since 2018.
The Shelby County government responded around 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, coroner Lina Evans told local news AL.com. The parents told the government they thought the two children were playing in their rooms, but discovered them insensitive inside the vehicle.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, but Evans told AL.com it was just a “tragic accident.” Temperatures were in the 1980s in Shelby County on Saturday.
Look before blocking: Child protection advocates for COVID-19 heat-related deaths and emerging temperatures
On average, 26% of hot car deaths in the United States are the result of young people traveling in cars and unable to leave. KidsAndCars.org reported.
However, this year there has been a dramatic increase with 47% of the deaths of young Americans in hot cars (8 out of 17) involving young children traveling in vehicles.
KidsandCars.org has a list of resources for child-proof cars. Tips: Keep cars closed at all times, never leave car keys inside children and teach them to honk their horns if they are trapped in a car.
But an increasing number of deaths are due to adults forgetting young people in cars or leaving them in the car for “just a minute.”
According to David Diamond, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida, the primary tension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to have an effect on the functioning of our memory. This, he says, can lead to fatal mistakes.
“When we are under stress, the imminent maximum stressor has a tendency to the maximum vital; it’s just the functioning of the human brain,” he said. “For example, when you’re behind on the job, it’s easy to focus on that and lose sight of other, more important things.”
A tip for heating vehicles, according to KidsandCars.org: get into the habit of opening the back door every time you park to make sure there’s no one inside. To apply this habit, place an essential item (such as a key or cell phone) in the back seat so you can’t start your day without taking a look before closing.
Contributor: Nisha Venkat, USA TODAY