United States Department of Transportation
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NHTSA Special Crash Investigations: Comprehensive Study of 2019 U.S. Pediatric Vehicular Hyperthermia Fatalities
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2022-12-01
[PDF-19.13 MB]
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Edition:NHTSA Technical Report
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Abstract:Incidents of children dying from heatstroke in vehicles, either because they were left or became trapped, have increased in recent years. Pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH), also known as hyperthermia, describes an elevated body temperature that can occur if a child is left in a hot vehicle and may result in fatal injuries. At least 849 children have died due to vehicular hyperthermia over a 22-year period (1998-2019), an average of 39 fatalities per year. This NHTSA study is aimed at furthering the safety community’s understanding of underlying factors contributing to children dying in vehicles from heatstroke. There are three main circumstances attributed to PVH: the child is “forgotten,” “gained access” to, or is “knowingly left” in an unattended vehicle. Detailed data was collected on heatstroke fatalities to aid in countermeasure development and assessment of the potential effectiveness and safety benefits of these countermeasures. NHTSA’s Special Crash Investigations program conducted investigations into the 52 heatstroke fatalities identified in the 2019 No Heatstroke dataset as of September 30, 2020. There are 50 incidents and reports (2 incidents reported that 2 children died from heatstroke, accounting for the 52 reported fatalities). This study compiles the data elements collected by the investigators and presents key descriptive statistical elements from the 50 SCI heatstroke investigations. A summary of the key circumstances and events that occurred prior to the 52 PVH fatalities is also provided.
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