( KFOR /NEXSTAR) – A recent study has revealed the U.S. states with the highest rate of child heatstroke deaths in cars, with Arkansas among the top states.
The study by the Parrish Law Firm looked at data from research company No Heat Stroke regarding child heatstroke deaths in cars from 1998 to July 19, 2024.
The data from the study focused on the number of hot car deaths in each state compared with the population aged 14 and under. States were then ranked from highest to lowest based on the number of deaths.
As you might have guessed, the highest-ranking states in the country were found mostly in the hotter southern part of the U.S., with Louisiana landing at No. 1.
Not far behind is Mississippi, followed by Oklahoma, then Arkansas. Here’s how the rest of the country finished on a per capita basis.
According to the Parrish Law Firm, Alaska, Vermont and New Hampshire are the only states with no recorded child heatstroke deaths in cars between 1998 and July 2024.
The data in the map (above) is per capita, but when looking at the total number of deaths, Texas finishes as the state with the most child deaths due to vehicular heatstroke with a total of 142 deaths since 1998. Florida is the only other state that even comes close with 110 deaths, followed by California at 56 total deaths.