As extreme summer heat continues to bear down across North Carolina, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will host an eye-opening demonstration to remind families of the dangers of leaving children and pets inside cars.
“This summer has been very hot in North Carolina, and it only takes a few minutes for temperatures inside your car to reach dangerous levels,” said Commissioner Causey. “It is important to remind everyone that leaving a child or pet unattended in a car even for a few minutes can be more dangerous than people realize.”
Commissioner Causey serves as the chair of Safe Kids North Carolina and will host the hot car demonstration at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 27, at Pullen Park, 520 Ashe Ave., Raleigh, N.C. 27606.
The event will take place on the Stage and Event Lawn, which is located behind the ticket office. The media is invited to attend and cover the event. DOI requests that outlets or editors notify viewers/listeners/readers about this event prior to Friday so that families can make plans to attend.
During the demonstration Commissioner Causey will show how the inside of a car can become like an oven as he melts marshmallows and chocolate on the dashboard to make s’mores. At the same time, 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 in the United States. Last year, 33 children died, including four in North Carolina.
So far this year, 14 children have died of heatstroke after being left in a car. All those deaths were preventable.
For more information about the dangers of leaving children on pets in cars, visit our website