The mother of an infant who died after being left in a hot car by a babysitter is urging parents and caregivers to be vigilant as temperatures begin to rise.
Brooke Paige of Macclenny, a community in Baker County in North Florida, joined state leaders at a press conference Thursday inTallahassee to urge everyone to pay attention to the little ones in the backseat who depend on the rest of us for their safety.
April is Hot Car Death Prevention Month in Florida. The state designation was passed into law last year after 10-month-old Ariya Paige died after being left in a hot SUV for five hours by her babysitter. Ariya's mom, Brooke, and grandmother, Pamela, appeared with state leaders Thursday to spread awareness about the dangers of hot vehicles to children and pets. Brooke Paige urged parents and caregivers to be mindful of little ones in the backseat.
"With Ariya's story being shared across the world, I am hopeful that we will save other babies and young children from being left unattended in vehicles and suffering from harm or death as a result,'' Paige said.
Florida is ranked No. 2 in the nation, second only to Texas, in the number of hot car deaths, according to the non-profit Kids and Car Safety, which tracks motor vehicle-related deaths in children. The state had four hot car deaths last year, tying with California for the most in the U.S.
Safety experts urge drivers to check the back seat before leaving their vehicle and to put an item of importance – a purse, briefcase or their left shoe – in the backseat so they are sure to look before locking the door. The state Department of Children and Families has prevention tips to help parents and caregivers.
DCF Secretary Taylor Hatch joined the Paige family at Thursday's news conference and urged parents and caregivers to "look before you lock.''
"Again, as we move through the month of April and approach the summer months, the temperatures are going to continue to climb,'' Hatch said. "Let's reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect children and our fellow Floridians. If you've heard nothing else from today, hear this: Assume that it can happen to you. And put in measures today to combat against this tragedy from ever occurring.''
Death to a child in a hot car can occur quickly, Hatch warned. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes, she said, whether parked in the shade, full sun or with the window cracked. And a child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult.
A child can suffer heat stroke in a closed vehicle when the temperature is as low as 57 degrees, Hatch said. In fact, data from Kids and Car Safety shows most hot car deaths in the U.S. (45%) occur when the outside temperature is 90-99 degrees, but 33% happen when the outside temperature is between 80-89 degrees. The majority of hot car deaths (40%) happen in the morning – before noon.
According to the National Weather Service, Central Florida has already experienced five above-average, 90-degree days in April, with more expected.
Kids and Car Safety reports 1,125 children have died in hot cars in the U.S. since 1990. Of those, 122 have died in Florida.
Most child hot car deaths (55%) happen because the child was "unknowingly left in a vehicle.'' Of those, the reasons given were "supposed to have been dropped off at daycare'' (43%); "miscommunication between two caregivers (11%); "left by a childcare provider'' (12%); and "unknowingly left by caregiver (34%).
Most hot car deaths in the U.S. (31%) are children under the age of 1, just like Ariya Paige.
Under state law, leaving a child unattended in a hot car can result in a third degree felony, punishable by fines and imprisonment. A bystander who witnesses an unattended child and attempts to break into a vehicle to rescue the child may be immune from prosecution under certain circumstances, according to state law.
Copyright 2025 Central Florida Public Media
