French heatwave kills two children in car, exposing regulatory gap on vehicle safety tech

Two children aged two and four died in a sealed car in Carpentras, southeast France, on 22 June during a heatwave exceeding 40°C. A child's core body temperature reaches dangerous levels within minutes in such conditions. France lacks mandatory vehicle-alert technology requirements that exist in the U.S. under the Hot Cars Act. Child safety advocates have repeatedly flagged this regulatory gap as temperatures intensify and heat events arrive earlier in the season.