Hot car emergencies decline, but authorities warn numbers are still ‘disturbing’

Victoria Ambulance has sounded the alarm over a “deadly” summer “trend” involving people being locked in hot cars, after paramedics received a “disturbing” number of calls over the last year.

New figures released by Ambulance Victoria revealed hot car call-outs decreased 14 per cent across the state in the past year.

Paramedics were called to 1048 reports of people locked in vehicles in the last 12 months, compared to 1211 in the previous year.

The most common suburbs were people were left in cars occurred in Narre Warren, Craigieburn, Epping, Berwick, Tarneit, Shepparton, Mildura, Cranbourne, Point Cook and Frankston.

About 33 per cent of call-outs were in the summer months and most cases were for a child aged between one and three years.

Parked cars can become up to 30 degrees hotter than the daytime temperature within minutes, putting children and the elderly at risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Ambulance Victoria State Manager Matt Coomber said while the decrease was encouraging, the numbers showed a disturbing trend – warning the danger is life-threatening as temperatures climbed during the summer months.

“A parked vehicle can become deadly in minutes,” he said.

“Never leave kids or elderly people in cars, even for a moment.

“Inside a car, the temperature can double in minutes. That rapid rise can cause serious injury or death long before help arrives.

“Children are especially vulnerable because their body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult.”

Mr Coomber said many incidents occur in everyday situations where distractions or quick mistakes led to a child being unintentionally locked in a vehicle.

“We know accidents happen. Keys get bumped, doors shut unexpectedly and children can play with locks,” he said.

“Always take children with you when you leave the car, keep keys with you and stay alert when loading or unloading family members.

“And if a child or anyone else becomes trapped, call Triple 0 immediately. Seconds matter.”

Kidsafe Victoria chief executive Sarah Sexton said people often underestimated how fast conditions inside a vehicle can escalate.

“The temperature inside a parked car can be 20-30 degrees hotter than outside, meaning even on a day in the low 20s, a vehicle can become dangerously hot within minutes,” she said.

“Leaving a window open has little effect on the temperature inside a parked car. It’s important to always take your children with you – every single time – and never give the keys to your child to play with.”