Critical warning for parents after Cobb County 2-year-old boy dies in hot car

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A family's heartbreak in Cobb County has become a cautionary tale for parents across metro Atlanta.

Cobb County police said a 2-year-old boy died after being in a car for an extended period of time Tuesday evening on Wanda Circle.

Police said they didn't believe he was left in the car, but couldn't say how he may have gotten in.

"When you’re in the heat, you become disoriented, these little ones just don’t stand a chance," said Amber Rollins, director of the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety. "This is something that could happen to even the best of parents, no one thinks it’s going to happen to them until it does."

Hot car deaths in Georgia

Kids and Car Safety says this was the 6th child to die in a hot car nationwide this year and the first in Georgia. They also said that 46 children have died in hot cars in Georgia since 1993, making Georgia the 5th highest state when it comes to child hot car deaths.

The organization also said that 1,089 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990 and at least another 7,500 survived with varying types and severities of injuries.

How can hot car deaths be prevented?

"The vehicle is a greenhouse. It traps and heats up very quickly, and it presents an imminent risk to children in a very short amount of time," she said.

Dr. Cecil Bennett, who practices medicine in Newnan, said the heat can claim anyone quickly, especially children. 

 "The smaller the child, the smaller the body surface area, and the faster they can get overwhelmed within minutes. It would not take long." Dr. Bennett said. "A body has natural mechanisms, of course, to produce sweat to cool down our bodies, but when the heat gets so intense so quickly, our system quickly overwhelms, and we stop sweating."

Rollins says roughly a quarter of children who have died in hot cars got in themselves.

She says technology has been around to detect people left in cars since the 90s – but regulators have been slow to mandate it.

A provision was passed in November 2021 as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a regulation by November 2023 for technology in all new cars to help prevent hot car deaths, but the final rule is now nearly a year overdue from the congressionally-mandated deadline, Rollins' organization said.

"Children keep dying," she said. "There’s no excuse because the technology to detect a child in a vehicle and alert the driver or by standards or even authority exists."

Safety tips for parents and caregivers

Create simple habits to help keep your child safe:

• Make sure your child is never left alone in a car.
• Place the child’s diaper bag or item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you.
• Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the back seat (employee badge, laptop, phone, handbag, etc.)
• Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.
• Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.

Tips to prevent a hot car death

Make sure children cannot get into a parked car:

• Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially in the garage or driveway. Ask neighbors and visitors to do the same.
• Never leave car keys within reach of children.
• Use childproofing knob covers and door alarms to prevent children from exiting your home unnoticed.
• Teach children to honk the horn or turn on hazard lights if they become stuck inside a car.
• If a child is missing, immediately check the inside, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area carefully, even if they’re locked.