“Many parents mistakenly think they can leave a child in a vehicle while running a ‘quick’ errand. Unfortunately, a delay of just a few minutes can lead to tragedy,” says Debra Brown, a registered nurse and trauma services director at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Extreme heat affects infants and small children disproportionately. Heat rapidly overwhelms the body’s ability to regulate temperature.

When the outside temperature is 93 degrees, the inside of a car, even with windows down, can reach deadly temperatures of 125 degrees in just minutes due to the sun beating down on windows and the metal roof.

• Never leave your child in an unattended car, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in or around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks, even at home.
• Be wary of child-resistant locks. Teach older children how to disable the driver’s door locks if they unintentionally become entrapped in a motor vehicle.
• Check to make sure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination.
• Don’t overlook sleeping infants.
• Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading and unloading.
• Make sure you check the temperature of the car seat surface and safety belt buckles before restraining your children in the car.
• Use a light covering to shade the seat of your parked car.