ROCKINGHAM — With heat advisories underway across North Carolina, Richmond County Health and Human Services will host a Safe Kids Hot Car Display on Monday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help educate the community about the dangers of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
The Safe Kids Hot Car Display will be set up on-site to demonstrate how quickly temperatures inside a vehicle can rise, even on relatively mild days. This interactive display provides important information on preventing heat-related injuries and keeping children safe.
According to the National Weather Service, more than 900 children have died in hot vehicles since 1998.
It is advised to never leave a toddler, a person with a disability or a pet locked in a vehicle and to ensure that car doors are always locked as children may play in vehicles or wander outside and climb into one, where they can suffer a fatal heat-related emergency in as little as 10 minutes.
Based on data from 1998 to 2022, an average of 38 children die from heatstroke in vehicles each year. A vehicle’s interior temperature can rise by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. On a 72-degree day, the inside of a vehicle can reach 116 degrees within an hour.
The event will take place at Richmond County Health and Human Services, 127 Caroline St., Rockingham.
For more information, contact Richmond County Health and Human Services.