“Beat the Heat, Check the Back Seat,” is the national slogan this year for Heat Awareness Day, Friday, May 23.

According to the National Weather Service website: “Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year. In the disastrous heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died. In the heat wave of 1995 more than 700 deaths in the Chicago area were attributed to heat, making this the deadliest weather event in Chicago history. In August 2003, a record heat wave in Europe claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.”

In an email from the NWS it reports that: “Last year, 44 kids died unnecessarily.  This is tragic, but the numbers were down from the past 5 years.  Our goal is for 0 deaths and injuries.”

The San Francisco State University Heat Page gives us an idea of how heat can affect children left in vehicles.

“So far in 2014 there have been at least five heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles; four confirmed as heatstroke and the other one still pending official findings by the medical examiner.  Last year, 2013, there were at least forty-four deaths of children in vehicles; thirty-nine of which has been confirmed as heatstroke and five which, based upon the known circumstances, are most likely heatstroke (2013 list).   Since 1998 there have been at least 606 documented cases of heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles.  This data and study shows that these incidents can occur on days with relatively mild (i.e., ~ 70 degrees F) temperatures and that vehicles can reach life-threatening temperatures very rapidly.”

You can learn more about the ‘Beat the Heat, Check the Back Seat’ campaign by going to the Facebook page you can also follow the hashtag #heatstroke on Twitter.