What everybody should know to help prevent hot car deaths & keep kids safe this summer

Before you walk away and leave your car unattended, stop and ask yourself: Is there someone you're leaving behind? It's up to all of us to help keep kids and animals safe and prevent hot car deaths this summer.

During the summertime, the temperature inside a car can skyrocket to 125 degrees in a matter of minutes, and most of the increase occurs in the first 10 minutes, according to KidsAndCars.org. Contrary to popular belief, cracking the window in a car does not slow the heating process.

In a hot car, children are the most vulnerable. Children have had fatal heat strokes in cars when the exterior temperature is as low as 60 degrees. On average, there are 39 hot car deaths per year for a total of 944 fatalities between 1990 and 2019. The vast majority of those deaths were children aged three and under.

Remember to look before you lock and make it a habit to always open the back door when you get out of the car. AccuWeather recommends leaving important items like your phone or purse in the back seat so that you are forced to check back there every time you leave the car.

When your car is parked at home, lock the doors to prevent kids from accidentally getting locked in, and keep the car keys out of reach.