Constable Mark Herman's office has responded to "numerous" calls involving children locked inside hot vehicles this summer and is urging Spring-area parents to check their back seats before walking away.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office issued its "Look Before You Lock" warning on Thursday, Aug. 6, calling the incidents "100% preventable." The warning lands less than a week before Spring ISD and Klein ISD students return to class on Wednesday, Aug. 12, when new morning routines raise the risk of a child being forgotten in a car seat.
Why routines matter
More than half of child hot car deaths nationally happen when a parent or caregiver doesn't notice a child in the back seat, according to data compiled by USA Today and NoHeatStroke.org. Another 24% involve children who climbed into an unlocked vehicle on their own.
The temperature inside a closed car can spike 20 degrees in 10 minutes and 50 degrees within an hour, according to the National Weather Service. A child's body heats three to five times faster than an adult's, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, making even a brief lapse dangerous.
Texas leads the nation in child hot car fatalities, with 173 deaths recorded through 2025, according to KidsandCarsSafety.org. At least 15 children have died nationwide from vehicular heatstroke so far in 2026, according to the National Safety Council, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.
What Precinct 4 says to do
The constable's office listed four steps in a Facebook post:
- Always check the back seat before locking your vehicle and walking away.
- Keep your car locked when parked so children cannot climb inside on their own.
- Place something you need — a phone, wallet or bag — in the back seat as a reminder.
- Pay extra attention when your routine changes or someone else handles drop-off.
Under Texas law, children younger than 7 cannot be left alone in a vehicle for more than five minutes unless accompanied by someone 14 or older.
If you see a child alone in a car
Call 911 immediately.
Spring-area residents can follow Precinct 4 on Facebook or download the C4 NOW app for live safety alerts.
