It seems inevitable: Along with the arrival of summer, we begin seeing the tragic deaths of children who are left in hot cars. The latest occurred earlier this month in Upper St. Clair, a Pittsburgh suburb.

We’ve been fortunate in our area for the past several weeks because temperatures have been uncharacteristically chilly for this time of year, but extreme heat has been on our doorstep, all around us, and the summer is just getting started.

When police were called to the scene of the latest hot-car-death tragedy, they found an unresponsive 3-month-old child, Kayden Nguyen, who police said had been left in his father’s blazing hot car “for hours.”

Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident, reviewing surveillance video and calling on the public for help in gathering information.

Once police have determined all of the facts, a decision will be made on whether to bring charges against the father in whose vehicle (Toyota Sienna minivan) the child was found.

On the day of the boy’s death, the outside temperature reached 87, but it was believed to be much higher inside the vehicle.

Safety experts have been recommending the inclusion of occupant detection technology as standard equipment in all vehicles as soon as possible to prevent other tragedies such as this one from occurring.

Kayden is the fifth child to die nationwide in a hot car this year, according to Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit organization which tracks these types of incidents. The organization reports that there are on average 38 hot car deaths per year. From 1990 to 2021, 56% of children who died in a hot car-related incident were unknowingly left in a vehicle.

Children sometimes gain access to vehicles on their own and become trapped (26%). In 15% of the cases, children are knowingly left in the vehicle. In cases such as these parents tell police that they had planned to return to their vehicle in minutes but were distracted, then forgot about the child baking inside. In only 3% of the cases are the causes unknown.

Starting with the most obvious of making sure your child is never left alone in a car, Kids and Car Safety provides common sense information on how to prevent this type of unspeakable tragedy from happening:

• 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 child-care 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.

• 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 or appear to be inaccessible.

If you see a child alone in a locked car, get them out immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled. This is a matter of life and death where every second counts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, when temperatures outside range from 80 to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a parked car in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 and 170 degrees.

Just 20 of the 50 states - Pennsylvania is among them - have unattended child laws that lay out specific language addressing leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. Ten states - Pennsylvania is not among them - have good Samaritan Laws which protect people who see a child in a hot car and take action to help the child. This oversight needs to be corrected by our state legislators and the governor.

“The biggest mistake,” according to Kids and Car Safety “is thinking that it can’t happen to you.”

While there have been and will continue to be strides in technology as vehicle manufacturers introduce breakthroughs in reminder systems, the best approach right now is awareness and education.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.