As Michigan continues to experience summer heat, experts are warning that the consequences of leaving children in your vehicle for any length of time can be deadly.
In Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing areas, local National Weather Service offices forecast temperatures climbing into the upper 80s by later this week, but even cooler temperatures can be too hot for children to remain in a vehicle.
Each year, heatstroke claims the lives of nearly 40 children in cars nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Temperatures quickly rise in enclosed vehicles and can be fatal for children, pets or people with disabilities left inside, experts say.
"It’s important for everyone to understand these tragedies can happen to anyone
— but are always preventable," the NHTSA's website says.
So far in 2026, 15 child deaths have been reported in vehicles, according to the National Safety Council.
"Nearly every state has experienced at least one death since 1998. In both 2018 and 2019 a record number of 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle," the NSC said.
While fatalities are rare in Michigan, they do still occur. Thirteen children died in Michigan vehicles between 1990 and 2025, according to KidsandCars.org: Five were unknowingly left in a car, four gained access to a car without someone realizing it, three children were knowingly left in a vehicle, and in one case the circumstances were undetermined.
Here's what to know about hot car safety in Michigan this summer.
How dangerous is being left in a hot car?
Children, people with disabilities and pets should never be left alone in a hot car as doing so can be life-threatening, the National Weather Service warns.
Vehicles can heat up quickly. Interiortemperatures can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes — and 40 degrees in one hour, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explained. Even if it’s only in the 60s outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 110 degrees.
At least 1,172 children have died from heatstroke over the last 35 years because they were forgotten or trapped in a hot vehicle, according to KidsandCars.org. An average of 38 children died in hot cars each year from 1998 to 2025.
Thirteen children died in Michigan vehicles between 1990 and 2025, according to KidsandCars.org: Five were unknowingly left in a car, four gained access to a car without someone realizing it, three children were knowingly left in a vehicle, and in one case the circumstances were undetermined.
Signs of heatstroke in babies and children
Heatstroke can cause long-term damage to a child's organs, including their brain, heart, and kidneys. It can also cause coma and death, according to UNICEF. Signs of the condition include:
- core body temperature of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
- nausea or vomiting
- flushed skin
- rapid pulse or breathing
- headache
- skin that feels hot but dry
- lack of sweating
- confusion, delirium or slurred speech
- seizures
- loss of consciousness
When do hot car deaths typically occur?
The most hot-vehicle incidents occur from May through September, according to NoHeatStroke.org. Children have died in cars every month of the year, although June, July, and August are the most common months.
The peak weekday for child hot car deaths is Thursday — totaling 196 deaths, according to KidsandCars.org. Cases where children are unknowingly left in cars occur most often toward the end of the work week, and children letting themselves into cars happens most often on weekends.
The morning, from 4-11:59 a.m., represents the peak time of the day for child hot car deaths at 466, followed by the afternoon, from noon to 4:59 p.m., at 419 deaths, KidsandCars.org noted.
Why are children more at risk?
Being left in a hot car can be particularly dangerous for children because their body temperatures rise three to five times faster than that of adults, according to the NHTSA.
Those left in a hot car can begin to experience heatstroke, a life-threatening illness. Though heat-related deaths are preventable, more than 1,000 Americans are killed by excessive heat annually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Why do hot car deaths occur?
Most hot car deaths are accidental, with a loved one forgotten in a vehicle, according to data from San Jose State University's Department of of Meteorology and Climate Science.
A heatstroke fact sheetprovided by KidsandCars.org highlights how broad the range of caregivers involved in the accidents is, including fathers, mothers, sitters, social workers, police officers, nurses and members of the armed services.
More than half (54%) of hot car deaths between 1990 and 2025 occurred because children were unknowingly left in a vehicle, according to KidsandCars.org. Among cases, 45% of the children were supposed to have been dropped off at daycare, 33% were left in a car by a caregiver, 11% were left in a car by a childcare provider, and in another 11% of cases, a miscommunication between two caregivers occurred.
Being stressed can increase your likelihood of memory lapses that lead to leaving your child in a car, according to a prominent cognitive neuroscience expert who has researched the function of memory in such tragedies.
David Diamond, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told Consumer Reports, "Forgetting a child is not a negligence problem, but a memory problem."
“The most common response is that only bad or negligent parents forget kids in cars,” Diamond says. “It’s a matter of circumstances. It can happen to everyone.”
Keep your pets out of parked cars amid summer heat
Potentially fatal heat-related illnesses can also impact pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association warns. Just as with people, you should never leave pets alone in a car, not even for a minute.
Consider if a pet really needs to come on a trip in your car, and if you bring them, bring the appropriate equipment and always remember to bring your pet out of the car with you immediately.
What can you do to avoid hot car deaths?
To prevent putting children at risk, Kids and Cars recommends the following tips:
◾Create a visual cue: Place a favorite toy in the car seat when it's empty. When you put your child in the car seat, move the toy to the front passenger seat as a reminder to check the back seat before leaving the car.
◾Create a reminder to check the back seat.
◾Make sure you have a strict policy in place with your child care provider to call you immediately if your child doesn't show up as planned.
◾Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in driveways or garages. Ask home visitors, childcare providers and neighbors to do the same.
◾Keep car keys and remote openers out of reach of children.
◾Teach toddlers how to honk the horn of a car if they become trapped inside.
◾Never leave children alone in or around cars, not even for a minute.
◾If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible.
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hot cars are especially dangerous for kids. What experts are saying
