On average, 37 children die every year across the country trapped in hot cars.
That’s one child dying every nine days.
In 2016, a new law took effect in Missouri that spares a Good Samaritan from legal challenges if they damage a car rescuing a child. Nine other states have similar laws. Critics say the law is unnecessary.
If you need to rescue a child trapped in a car by breaking a window, it’s harder than it looks.
We teamed up with the car dealership Fast Cash for Any Car in KCK. They let us use a few of their junk cars to demonstrate entering a car to save a child or pet.
Police say to choose a window farthest away from a child.
Take a rock or a tire iron and focus on the corners of the window. Try to aim for the corner above the lock.
After a few whacks, the glass should break.
Use a towel to protect your hand from the glass and reach in to unlock the car door.
There are special tools on the market that fit on your keychain that are designed to break a window if the vehicle is submerged in water. It will also cut a seatbelt.
We tested it to break the window of the car, and it shattered it in seconds.
The nonprofit KidsandCars.org offers a pair of the tools for a $30 donation on its website.
