Each summer, children die in overheated cars, forgotten in silence in a parking lot. In Istres, a new drama relaunches a disturbing question: how can it still happen?
A 2 year old child dies in Istres, forgotten in a car in the heat
A two -year -old boy died this Thursday in Istresin the Bouches-du-Rhône, after having been Forgotten for several hours in his father’s car. The vehicle was parked in a parking lot located in the Istres military base, where the child’s father works, said the prosecutor, without being able to indicate whether it was civil or military personnel. Despite the desperate attempts of the emergency services, the child did not survive extreme heat. The external temperatures exceeded 35 ° C, and the interior was able to quickly exceed the 45 ° Ccreating a mortal greenhouse effect.
A drama all the more incomprehensible since it is not isolated. Each year, Several children die in similar conditionsoften in summer, when the daily rhythm takes precedence over vigilance. How can a parent come to forget their own child in a rear seat? The answer is more complex than it seems.
Thermal shock, a deadly trap in a few minutes
This type of death is caused by acute hyperthermia, that is to say a brutal elevation of body temperature. “”The temperature in a car can climb more than 10 ° C in just ten minutessame windows ajar“, Recalls Dr Gérald Kierzekemergency doctor. In toddlers, the body dehydrates Three to five times faster that in an adult, which makes their body particularly vulnerable.
“Leaving your child alone in a car, even with the windows open, it does not make sense, it’s criminal. You should never leave a child without surveillance. The car is an oven and with the heat, a child dehydrates very quickly” Specifies Dr. Kierzek.
In a few minutes, the heart is racing, the vital organs drop. The emergency services, arrived too late in Istres, could not do anything.
“”These dramas often occur because the brain enters Automatic managementand the parent thinks he has deposited the child to the crèche or in a nanny, without even realizing it“, Adds Dr. Kierzek. This type of oblivion is therefore not linked to negligence but to a punctual cognitive failure, triggered by stress, fatigue or a change of habit.
Forgotten baby syndrome, an insidious neurological flaw
The phenomenon is now medically recognized: We are talking about forgotten baby syndrome (Forgotten Baby Syndrome). He especially touches the very invested parentsoften stressed, and faced with a rupture of routine. The brain “short-circuits” literally the memory of having a child in the car.
American researchers have shown that even attentive parents could be victims of this temporary amnesia. The prefrontal cortex (planned task management) takes over the hippocampus (recent memory management). Result: the scene of the child’s depot is mentally “invented”, when it has never occurred. “”It is not just a question of bad will or negligence “insists Dr. Kierzek. “”Sometimes it is a real brain bug that everyone can know“.
Prevention systems exist, but remain little used
To avoid new dramas, several devices have been developed. Some car seats incorporate connected sensors Who send an alert if the child is sitting once the car has been stopped. Other solutions go through mobile applications or visual reminders such as laying a handbag on the back with the child.
But these devices are still very little disseminated in France. Italy nevertheless has them Mandatory made since 2019under penalty of fine. In France, legislation remains silent. “”We can understand that a compulsory system has a cost, but these are children of children“Recalls Dr. Kierzek.
The question remains: why are these devices not generalized? Do you have to wait for yet another drama to legislate? In the meantime, awareness and repetition of prevention gestures remain the only effective barriers.