Woman opens up about nearly losing 4-week-old baby after accidentally leaving him in hot car

By Manuel Crespo Feliciano, Accuweather en Español staff writer

"Twin 1-year-olds died after being left in a hot car for 8 hours"

"Police Investigating Death of Toddler Found in Hot Car in San Diego"

“Vehicular heatstroke claimed lives of 2 children at the start of August”

These are some of the headlines, to mention a few, that have surfaced in news reports in recent weeks and present a growing problem in the United States: vehicular heatstroke deaths of children.
For activist Erin Holley, the issue lives all too close to her heart following an incident that completely changed her life. Holley appeared on the AccuWeather Network Wednesday and discussed her experience with broadcast meteorologists Laura Velasquez and Bernie Rayno.

It was June 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina, and Holley, her husband and their two children -- 4 years and 4 weeks old at the time -- had been amid a weekslong process of moving to what was going to be their new home.

According to Holley, in the middle of the process, she and her husband were riding in separate cars to a storage facility. At one point, they decided to take a break to go to the park with their children, this time all in the same car.

It was not until they arrived at the park that the couple, horrified, realized that they had left their 4-week-old son inside the other vehicle.

“I would never have believed that I would need technology to protect against this,” Holley said in the interview with Velasquez and Rayno. 

July is the month with the highest recorded deaths.

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Thankfully, at that time, the couple arrived in time to discover that their son was in perfect condition and that the story would become only a bad scare.

However, not all parents are as fortunate. Since 1990, more than 900 children have died in the U.S. after being forgotten inside a vehicle, according to KidsAndCars.org.

So far this year, 26 deaths have been added to this list.

Since this incident occurred, Holley has been vocal about preventing vehicular heatstroke and promoting the proposed law known as The Hot Cars Act of 2019.

This law, introduced by U.S. Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio, seeks that all new passenger motor vehicles must be equipped with a system to detect the presence of an occupant in a rear designated seating position after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated.

“There is necessity for law,” added Holley, comparing the situation with the same need for all cars to have seat belts and airbags, as stipulated by law.

Thursday and Friday are the days with the highest prevalence of these accidents

In the meantime, these discussions and public pressure are already showing results.

Automotive companies such as Nissan, General Motors and Hyundaiare incorporating safety systems that help prevent such accidents.

In the case of the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, there is a system that if a rear door is opened and closed and the car is turned on, the driver will get a visual and audible rear-seat reminder alert when the car is turned off and the driver begins to exit the vehicle.

Also, if the vehicle is locked and the ultrasonic sensor detects movement in the rear seat, the horn will honk on and off for approximately 25 seconds, according to an article published by KidAndCars.

“It’s not a lack of love for your child," Holley said. "It’s about setting a safety net so this won’t happen to your family.”