How Hot Can a Parked Car Get? The Exact Numbers That Could Save a Child's Life

Every year, an average of 37 to 39 children die in the United States after being left in hot vehicles. Since 1998, more than 1,041 children have lost their lives this way. These are not freak accidents. They are predictable, preventable tragedies, and they happen in every state, in every income level, and to attentive, loving parents who simply lost track of one critical moment.

With the Southwest currently under record-breaking heat and spring break season in full swing, understanding exactly what happens inside a parked car is more important than ever.

There Is No Safe Temperature Threshold: Here’s Why

Most people assume hot car deaths are a summer problem. They are not. On average, the first vehicular heatstroke death of the year happens in March, according to researcher Jan Null, who has tracked these fatalities since 1998. The first death in 2025 occurred on a day when the outside temperature was just 68 degrees.

Here is what the data shows about interior car temperatures: