As warm temperatures continue to soar across North Carolina this summer, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will host a demonstration to remind families of the dangers of leaving children and pets inside cars.
“It only takes a matter of minutes for temperatures inside your car to reach dangerously high levels,” said Commissioner Causey. “One child’s death is one too many. I’m asking all families to ‘Look Before You Lock’ and make sure you never leave a child or pet in a hot car by accident.”
Commissioner Causey, who also serves as the chair of Safe Kids North Carolina, will host a hot car demonstration at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, at the Harnett County DSS Building, located at 311 W. Cornelius Blvd., Lillington, N.C.
The media is invited to attend and cover the event.
During the demonstration, Commissioner Causey will show how hot the inside of a car can become as he melts marshmallows and chocolate on the dashboard to make s’mores. A large digital thermometer will simultaneously display the temperatures inside and outside the parked car to show how quickly temperatures can reach life-threatening levels.
On average, 38 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. Last year, 23 children died.
So far this year, 16 children have died after being left in a car.
Two of the deaths occurred in North Carolina, where a 1-year-old girl in Mebane and a 2-year-old boy in Scotland County died earlier this summer.
Each of those deaths were preventable.