When the sun is beating down and you're driving around, safety experts have advice for parents, guardians, and caretakers.
"The worst thing anyone can ever do is to think this can't happen to them," said Janette Fennell the founder of kidsandcars.org
According to kidsandcars.org, six children in the United States have died from vehicular heat stroke so far this year and the death toll averages about 37 per year.
"We should look at our vehicles sort of like a greenhouse when that heat comes inside to the vehicle it has no place to escape." said Fennell.
Using a thermometer we did a test. Outside the temperature read 82 degrees, but after spending ten minutes inside a car with its windows rolled up it jumped up to close to 100 degrees. Experts say cracking a window won't help, it will only lower the temperature by just two degrees. They have recorded deaths where the outside temperature was in the low 50's. Within minutes of being inside the car I started to sweat badly and I wanted to get out. Experts say if was an infant I'd be in a lot worse shape.
"Little children, their bodies heats up three to five times quicker than that of an adult," explained Fennell.
Experts say these tragedies are not because of bad parenting, but in most cases are a result of our brains going on auto-pilot.
"When the children die in most cases it's when they've been misremembered or people lose awareness that the child is in the car. It tends to be a failure of our brain system not a failure of love," said Fennell.
One way to make sure you don't forget your baby in the back seat is to take an item like your phone or purse and just set it in the back seat next to the car seat. That way you're less likely to forget. kidsandcars.org want to remind the public to look before you lock. Police say if you do see child or pet locked in a hot car call 911.
