After a hot car death in North Carolina at the end of September, Melissa Constanzer explains it is never too late in the season to consider the inside temperature of a closed car.
00:00As we look at what is unfortunately another hot car death as we've closed out the month of September, we've added that in the state of North Carolina, a new death being tallied there as well.
00:11It comes to 30 deaths so far in 2025, which is still below the typical average of 40.
00:18But remember, we still have more months in the year and you might be thinking, well, those months are colder.
00:23Not necessarily. They can still be quite warm.
00:25And one thing to keep in mind is thankfully the sun angle does lessen here in the northern hemisphere, but still can be quite intense at times, especially the farther south you live.
00:34So it really doesn't take much when those temperatures start to rise.
00:38In fact, even if you're starting off at 70 degrees outside, you can spend just in 10 minutes time that indoor car temperature going up to 90 degrees.
00:46And for children, you have to remember that when they're stuck in a car seat or even when they're not, their bodies have a more difficult time regulating temperature than adult bodies.
00:57So then when they're surrounded by that car seat snug and tight, it can be a real challenge to manage temperatures at 104 degrees, which would be a fever type temperature there.
01:07And that happens in just 30 minutes.
01:08So you really don't have to forget about things for very long to see those temperatures rise quite quickly.
01:14And if you've ever had a cracked window open, it doesn't offer a lot of relief.
01:18In fact, over the course of an hour, in many cases, that window cracking is the same thing as if you kept all of your windows closed.
01:26So ultimately, those temperatures really will rise quite quickly within an hour or two for most cars.
01:33That's why it's so important to look before you lock.
01:35Make sure you didn't leave any valuables behind, especially people, pets, or anything else.
01:41And then keep your car keys out of kids' reaches because they can easily get in.
01:46It might not even be your own child.
01:47It could be your neighbor's child that could get into a closed car.
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