A professor of psychology has been working closely with KidsAndCars.org, and he has a scientific theory to explain why caring parents leave their kids in a hot car. Many children die every year from parents simply forgetting them in a car; they get heatstroke from the rapidly increasing temperature. The science may explain some of the underlying reasons as to why parents do this, but it’s important to be aware of them in order to protect your child.

Since 1990, KidsAndCars reports that over 900 children have died from heatstroke because they were left in a hot car. On average, that’s around 38 deaths every year or one every nine days. In 2019, there have already been 26 deaths to date. The organization aims to eliminate vehicle-related deaths by collecting data, educating the public, and getting the government to create policies.

David Diamond is a psychology professor at the University of South Florida, and he has been working with KidsAndCars to help explain the infant deaths. His theory of “Forgotten Baby Syndrome” is based on the brain’s different kinds of memories. Prospective memory deals with our ability to remember tasks not part of our daily routine, and habit memory is when we go on autopilot to complete daily tasks. The syndrome happens when prospective memory fails, and habit takes over. It’s the same concept as when you leave your coffee on top of your car and start to drive.

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This failure of memory is what KidsAndCars aims to minimize and even eliminate. They recommend creating new habits that will protect your children from a lapse in memory. Even if there’s no child in the car, a parent should make a habit of always opening the back door before walking away. Putting important items such as a purse or work shoes in the back seat can also help with the habit of remembering to look back before exiting the vehicle.

Making a habit of locking your car can also prevent kids from getting in on their own and accidentally locking themselves in. You can also teach your kids to how to honk the horn of the car in case they are left or trapped in there. The lapses in memory are common, but we’re not powerless against them. These deaths are preventable, and we should do everything we can to avoid them.

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