The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and AAA Colorado held a demonstration at the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus to highlight the dangers of leaving children, older adults, people with disabilities, or pets in parked vehicles. The event was part of the “Look Before You Lock” campaign, which aims to raise awareness about vehicular heatstroke risks even when outside temperatures are cooler.
During the demonstration, an empty car was parked in Joy Park with a large digital thermometer inside. Within 10 minutes, the interior temperature rose above 105º Fahrenheit, despite moderate outdoor conditions. Organizers emphasized that this can happen even when it is as cool as 57º outside.
“No child or other vulnerable passenger should ever be left alone in a car, no matter the outside temperature,” said CDOT’s Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Vehicular heatstroke can happen in temperatures as low as 57 degrees, so please remember to look before you lock.”
According to experts at the event, children are especially vulnerable because their body temperature rises three to five times faster than that of adults. While adults may not feel uncomfortable in a vehicle during mild weather, children can quickly face dangerous conditions.
So far in 2025, there have been 18 child deaths across the United States from being left in hot cars. Last year saw 39 such fatalities nationwide—a 35% increase from 2023. Colorado has not reported any hot-car deaths since August 2008 when two siblings died after being left unattended in Douglas County.
More than half of these incidents occur because caretakers forget children are inside vehicles; nearly one quarter result from children entering vehicles on their own. At Friday’s event, museum staff led educational sessions for kids about sun safety and CDOT and AAA distributed car fresheners reminding families to check their back seats before leaving their vehicles.
“AAA is passionate about raising awareness of vehicular heatstroke and continuing our partnership with CDOT. While Colorado has historically seen low fatalities of this kind, it’s always worth a reminder to be thoughtful when it comes to the safety of children and vulnerable passengers,” said Skyler McKinley, Regional Director of Public Affairs for AAA. “Let’s continue to set an example and avoid these preventable tragedies: Always check the back seat of your vehicle before exiting.”
