Anyone could forget a kid in a hot car, research shows

No parent would think they would forget their child in a hot car, but the sad truth is that it can happen to anyone.

Since 1998, an estimated 1,024 children have died in hot cars, and more than half of them were left unattended by their caregivers (according to data from NoHeatStroke.org). So far in 2025, 14 children in the United States have died in hot cars, with eight of those deaths occurring in June.

New research suggests that the daily stresses parents face can increase the likelihood of these memory lapses. Dr. David Diamond, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida and an expert in cognitive neuroscience, says it’s not about forgetfulness or irresponsibility, but rather about poor working memory.

“The usual reaction is that only bad or careless parents leave kids in cars,” says Diamond, “but it really depends on the circumstances. It can happen to anyone.”

During the summer, many families experience changes in their routines due to vacations or changes in daily schedules. Diamond says those changes can play a big role in these accidents.

“The worst thing a parent or caregiver can do is assume that something like this will never happen to them or their family,” says Janet Fennell, founder of Child and Car Safety.

The accidents have occurred across a wide age range, from 5-day-old babies to 14-year-olds, according to data from NoHeatStroke.org. These deaths aren’t just limited to the summer; they’ve also been reported in months as short as February and November.

The Child and Auto Safety Association, in its fact sheet, emphasizes that people who have made these mistakes have come from a wide range of backgrounds: teachers, nurses, police officers, military officers, priests, social workers, dentists, and even aerospace scientists. These tragedies can happen to anyone, regardless of their education or social status.

When Working Memory Fails

Diamond says these mistakes are caused by interference between two types of working memory:

Prospective memory, which reminds us to do something in the future (like taking our child to daycare),

and semantic memory, which allows us to navigate a familiar route (like from work to home) without much thought.

When stress, fatigue, or a change in routine causes prospective memory to fail, parents may forget that their child is in the car, and their brains may even create a false image of the child being in daycare.

“The brain’s habit-forming system is very useful,” says Diamond, “but it can also suppress other important memories.”

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