News from AAA: Warm weather demands changes by drivers with children and pets

Just a week ago, overnight low temperatures in our region were in the 30’s. With daytime highs in the summer-like 80’s this week, AAA Northeast is issuing an early reminder of heatstroke risks to children and pets in hot cars. In 2025 alone, 31 children died in hot cars across the U.S., according to NoHeatStroke.org. What caregivers need to know: A child’s body temperature rises much faster than an adult’s and when left in a vehicle, a child’s temperature can rise so quickly that it becomes dangerous. A vehicle’s interior can become lethally hot even on a mild but sunny day: On a typical 80-degree summer day, the interior temperature of a vehicle climbs by 20 degrees in only 10 minutes and reaches a deadly 109 degrees in 20 minutes. Nearly 53 percent of pediatric hot car deaths are caused by a caregiver forgetting the child in the vehicle, according to NoHeatStroke.org. Statistics about pets dying in hot cars are not tracked as closely, but the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that every year, hundreds of pets die of heatstroke in parked vehicles. Drivers should exercise the same care with a pet as they would with a child. To prevent hot car deaths, AAA Northeast recommends caregivers practice the following: Stop and look at the backseat before exiting a parked vehicle. Make it a habit to check the entire vehicle before locking the doors and walking away. Place personal items, like a purse or briefcase, on the floor in the back seat as another reminder to look before you lock. Ask childcare providers to immediately call if your child doesn’t show up for care as expected and always seek confirmation that your child was removed from the vehicle safely by anyone transporting them — including spouses, grandparents, other family members and close friends. Lock your vehicle to prevent unsupervised access and a child getting trapped inside. Keep car keys away from children and teach them that the inside of a car should never be used as a play area. Act fast, call 911 and take action if you see a child alone in a locked car. A child in distress should be removed as quickly as possible. AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6.8 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.