Hot car deaths continue to rise in the U.S.

Monday, July 25, 2016, 7:33 PM - So far 2016 has been a deadly year for children in hot cars.  Back in June, the National Safety Council (NSC) announced nearly three times as many children have died  so far in 2016 in the U.S. compared to the same time last year.

When those statistics were released July 9, 11 children had died from being left in hot cars in the U.S.

By July 24 that number nearly doubled after a Dallas toddler became the 21st child to die in a hot car. Then, on Friday a four-year-old died in Pennsylvania after a caretaker forgot the child was in the car when she went to work. The young girl was found unconscious at the end of the work day amid temperatures of 36C.

Officials were hoping hot car death rates would fall this year.

In 2015, 24 cases of hot car-related deaths were reported, well below the average of 38 since 1998, CNN reports.

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Experts say these tragedies are more likely to happen when there is a change in routine, which could result in a different parent or caregiver transporting the child.

Sleep deprivation and shifting attention elsewhere are other major contributing factors.

"It does seem to be a distraction issue," Amy Artuso, program manager for the NSC told CNN.

"We don't have anything scientific to back it up, but more deaths do seem to happen toward the end of the week."

When the temperature is 26 degrees Celsius outside, it can climb to 32 degrees inside a car that's parked in the shade, and 71 degrees if the car is parked in the sun, within minutes.

Leaving a child in those conditions can result in fines and jail time.

Source: CNN