hot car deaths

A Rancho Palos Verdes woman pleaded no contest Wednesday to charges stemming from the death of her 2-year-old daughter, who was left in a car with the heater running in an unincorporated area near Torrance.

On average, 39 children in the U.S. die of heatstroke each year after being left in a hot car. Consumer Reports found this year, because of coronavirus, the risk may be even higher!

Consumer Reports looked at why the deadly issue could be worse than usual this summer.

By the 2025 model year, nearly all new vehicles sold in the U.S. will come with electronic alerts to remind people to not leave children behind in the back seats. Twenty automakers representing 98% of new vehicles sold have agreed to install reminders in an effort to stop heatstroke deaths.

A father who left his 1-year-old twins in his car while he went to work told investigators “I blanked out, my babies are dead, I killed my babies,” according to the criminal complaint released Saturday.

Legislation announced Wednesday would require car companies to install alarms to remind drivers to check the back seats of cars once they are turned off.

Every summer, children die after their parents accidentally leave them in the back seats of hot cars. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives introduced the Hot Cars Act, which would require that cars be equipped with visual and audio alarms to remind drivers to check the back seat once a car has been turned off.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that allows Californians to rescue animals trapped in hot cars without fear of prosecution.