The Delaware Office of Highway Safety along with the Division of Motor Vehicles is preparing drivers with lifesaving education and awareness on heatstroke prevention.
OHS teams will share information and engage visitors at three DMV locations – one in each county – by demonstrating how quickly a vehicle can reach dangerous temperatures.
Last year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 39 child deaths due to vehicle-related heatstroke - a 35% increase from the previous year. There were none in Delaware.
Aubrey Klick is the OHS Child Passenger Safety Coordinator.
"Just 10 minutes after a vehicle has been turned off the inside temperature in a vehicle can rise about 20°, and that's even with a cracked window. Cracking windows really does not help the situation, and the problem with this, especially for children, is that children's bodies overheat three to five times faster than an adult," said Klick.
Klick notes heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches 104 degrees, and can become fatal at 107 degrees and higher.
To prevent deaths in hot vehicles, never leave a child unattended, ensure all passengers and pets are out before locking the vehicle and place an item in the back seat as a reminder to look before you lock.
One in four hot-car deaths happen when a child gets into an unattended vehicle and can’t get out, but Klick says more happen by mistake.
"55% of pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths from 1990 to 2024 are because children were unknowingly left in the vehicle, and a lot of times this happens because of a change in routine for the family," said Klick.
The first OHS event is Wednesday June 18 at the New Castle DMV on 2230 Hessler Blvd.
The second event takes place in Kent County at the Dover DMV at 303 Transportation Circle on Wednesday July 2, and the last one in Sussex County at the Georgetown DMV on 23737 DuPont Blvd will be on Wednesday, August 20. They all take place from 1 to 3 p.m.
