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Washington, D.C. — In the wake of a heartbreaking hot car death in Montgomery County, Maryland this week, Kids and Car Safety (KACS) and families who have lost children to similar tragedies are urgently renewing their call for action from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. This is the 17th hot car death in Maryland since 1998 and the 1,127th nationwide since 1990.
Just last week, in conjunction with U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) National Heatstroke Prevention Day on May 1, more than 100 grieving family members and loved ones sent a letter to DOT Secretary Duffy urging him to issue a long-overdue Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for a federal safety standard requiring life-saving rear seat occupant detection technology in all new vehicles. This is the first step in issuing a new safety standard. The rule was mandated by Congress in 2021 under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub.L.117-58). The statutory deadline was November 2023. That deadline has come and gone, and no action has yet been taken.
Sadly, over 130 children have died in hot cars since the law was passed in 2021.
“With summer fast approaching, the clock is ticking,” said Amber Rollins, Director of Kids and Car Safety. “Every day without this rule puts children at risk of dying in hot cars. The technology exists. The data is clear. And now another baby is gone. How many more will die before the DOT finalizes this lifesaving rule?”
According to data from Kids and Car Safety, nearly 40 children die in hot cars every year in the U.S. Most occur when loving, attentive parents unknowingly leave a sleeping child behind in the back seat—something memory experts confirm can happen to anyone.
While some automakers offer basic door-sequencing alerts, these systems already have failed to prevent the deaths of at least 7 babies. Only advanced detection and alert systems—those capable of sensing a child’s presence through movement or breathing—can provide the necessary protection. And only a federal safety standard can ensure every child, in every vehicle, is protected.
KACS alongside grieving families are calling on Secretary Duffy to issue the NPRM before the first day of summer, June 20, to demonstrate his commitment to protecting children and preventing further tragedies.
“There are many dangers we can’t control—but this isn’t one of them,” Rollins added. “This is a danger we can eliminate. And the time to act is now.”
Hot Car Fact Sheet
Examples of Occupant Detection Available in Vehicles Today
Hot Car Educational Videos
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