Activate the 'Child Mode' in Cars to Prevent Heat-Related Incidents

With the onset of high temperatures, the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) and the Spanish Association of Out-of-Hospital Paediatrics and Primary Care (Sepeap) warn of a tragedy that, unfortunately, repeats every year: the death of children forgotten inside closed vehicles without ventilation.

A child left alone in a vehicle for just 10 minutes at an outside temperature of around 25 degrees is at significant risk of suffering heatstroke, according to a report by the Mapfre Foundation and the Spanish Paediatrics Association. The study highlights that on a sunny day with a moderate temperature of just over 20 degrees outside, the interior temperature of a vehicle can rise to over 40 degrees.

According to Sepeap, most of these victims are under two years old, strapped in their safety seats in the back of the car. The combination of a closed vehicle and sun exposure can raise the interior temperature to lethal levels within minutes, even on days that are not extremely hot, turning the cabin into a deadly oven.

Authorities and medical experts urgently call for awareness and prevention to avoid these entirely preventable deaths. It is crucial to take precautionary measures and never leave a child alone inside a vehicle, not even for a moment.

Under normal conditions, body temperature is maintained between 36-37°C, regardless of the outside temperature. It is also important to note that the mechanisms responsible for regulating body temperature in children under five are not as effective as in adults. In relatively cool ambient temperatures, the increase in vehicle temperature is significant on clear and sunny days, posing a risk to young children.

Vehicles heat up quickly, within the first 15 to 30 minutes in the sun. For instance, on a 36°C day, a car with closed doors and windows can reach 67°C in 15 minutes (this increase is less in light-coloured cars and minivans). With windows lowered by 5 cm, temperatures reach 50°C. A child inside a parked car in summer without ventilation can reach a body temperature of 42-43°C and die within half an hour to an hour.

The combination of children's vulnerability with the rapid increase in temperature inside a closed cabin (which can exceed 50°C in minutes under the sun) turns forgetfulness into an extreme risk situation.

These incidents, often due to severe lapses or changes in routine, underscore the critical importance of awareness and implementing safety measures to prevent these tragedies from claiming more young lives.