Reminders about safety in vehicles as temperatures soar

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - With blazing heat over the next few days, it’s important to remember your parked car can get even hotter than outside temperatures.

This creates danger for children who may get left inside.

According to the National Safety Council, 15 child deaths from being trapped inside a vehicle have been reported in 2025 so far.

That includes North Carolina, where a 7-month-old baby died after being left in a hot minivan in the Richmond County city of Hamlet.

Mother Lindsey Biggerstaff says that’s why she never leaves her 11-week-old son in the car alone, even for quick errands.

“I limit the amount of time he’s in the car as much as possible,” Mother Lindsey Biggerstaff says. “Newborns especially have a really hard time regulating their temperature, and I’ve learned that my baby is a very hot natured baby, so I’ve got a little Mickey Mouse fan attached to his car seat that’s running at all times.”

Ellen Walston, ECU Health’s Injury Prevention Program Coordinator, says forgetting a child in the car can happen to any parent, and it’s best to prepare for the possibility.

“Parents will say, I would never leave my child in the car. I would never forget my child, and I have sat with fathers and mothers who have done that exact thing,” Walston says.

According to Red Oak Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Michael Brown, 37 children on average die a year from heatstroke due to being trapped inside a vehicle.

Brown says a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.

It’s the same for pets, whose fur can also cause them to overheat quickly.

“It’s best to have some kind of routine if you can when you have your child in the car,” Brown says. “Whatever that might be for you, to always remember to check the backseat.”

Brown says setting an alarm, leaving something as a reminder in your passenger seat, or getting a car that alerts you if there’s something left in the back can help prevent tragedies from happening.

Officials say it’s also important to make sure your car is not accessible to children, as they can climb inside an unlocked vehicle and become trapped.