7-month-old boy perishes in hot car in Monterey, Tennessee, 2 in 2026
PRESS RELEASE FROM KIDS AND CAR SAFETY:
MONTEREY, Tenn. — Tragically, a 7-month-old has died after being found in a hot car outside of a library in Monterey, Tennessee, on Wednesday.
This is at least the second child to die in a hot car nationwide this year.
At least 1,172 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990 and at least another 7,500 survived with varying types and severities of injuries, according to data collected by Kids and Car Safety.
Approximately 86% of children who die in hot cars are age three or younger and the majority (54%) were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver.
Technology exists that can prevent these unthinkable tragedies. 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.
The final rule is now more than two and a half years overdue from the Congressionally mandated deadline.
On May 1, 2025 grieving families sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation 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.
Sadly, over 145 children have died in hot cars since the law was passed in 2021.
“We are committed to the push for occupant detection technology in all cars immediately. As we continue our advocacy, children continue to die. It is beyond heartbreaking,” stated Amber Rollins, Executive Director of Kids and Car Safety, the leading national nonprofit working solely to prevent injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. “Automakers do not have to wait for the final regulation; they can add occupant detection technology to their vehicles today,” she continued.
Kids and Car Safety is calling on childcare facilities to call parents immediately if a child does not show up as expected. One of the most common scenarios is a child who was supposed to be dropped off at daycare. One phone call could have saved the lives of hundreds of children and can prevent this from happening in the future.
Child hot car deaths and injuries are largely misunderstood by the general public and the majority of parents believe this would never happen to them. Kids and Car Safety educates families about how to safeguard their children until they have life-saving technology in their vehicles.
Hot Car Resources:
- Hot car dangers fact sheet
- Hot Car Data
- Available hot car technology
- Differences between rear seat reminder alert only & occupant detection
Hot Car video PSAs:
- What To Do if You See a Child Alone in a Vehicle
- Child gets into hot car, becomes trapped
- Child Unknowingly Left in a Hot Car
- All Hot Car Danger PSAs
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.
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.
For more information, visit https://www.kidsandcars.org/how-kids-get-hurt/heat-stroke/.
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