ATLANTA — It’s a persistent cause of death of children, one that officials are trying to help prevent.
Georgia officials are kicking off their yearly push to raise awareness among parents, guardians and child care providers of the danger of leaving children in vehicles unattended.
Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning is sponsoring “Look Again” in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Thanks to a $30,000 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant from Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, DECAL will use billboards, radio, and other mass media to share the Look Again message with the public.
The kickoff event featured a real-time demonstration of how rapidly temperatures rise in a closed vehicle, conditions that can lead to death.
More than 1,000 children have died after being left in hot vehicles since 1998. Last year, 31 child hot car deaths were reported nationwide.
In Georgia, 10 children were left in vehicles by child care providers during fiscal year 2025. So far in FY2026, eight children have been left in vehicles.
“These are entirely preventable cases that require an adult’s constant awareness and responsibility when transporting children,” said Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “Through our partnership with DECAL and the NHTSA, we continue working to reinforce simple habits like scanning the back seat every time you leave a vehicle.”
DECAL Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs said it’s important that all family members make sure vulnerable children aren’t left behind in a vehicle.
“Once you arrive at your destination, check both the front and back of your car, then look again. Consistently accounting for every single child transported may be the difference between life and death. There is absolutely no reason at all for a child to suffer or die in these conditions,” she said.
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