This is a topic that you'd think wouldn't be necessary. Logic dictates that excessive car heat + kids and pets can be deadly. It's much like by winter people have gone brain dead thinking they can drive 75 mph on icy freeways. Every year sees 50- and 100-car pile-ups because someone didn't slow down to suit road conditions.

In 2017 at least 44 children had "cooked" and died after being left in parked cars. News has been plastered with many close calls for children and pets and their heroic rescues. According to KidsAndCars.org, heatstroke from being left in cars has killed nearly 800 children since 1989. It can happen in any state, but Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina see the most.

Graphic: It might be an idea to pull down this graphic, print it out and put it on the fridge especially during Summer. It's already sized for printing on 8-1/2 x 11" paper.

Caregivers defend themselves saying they left children or pets in the car for “just a minute" while they ran an errand. Then more time passes than intended. Otherwise loving parents get hung up in a line, get distracted or lose track of time. Few realize just how quickly a vehicle's interior can hit triple digits, skyrocket even when the car is parked in shade, with the windows cracked and outside temperature seems mild.

Children, Elderly and Pets Most at Risk

Children’s bodies absorb heat 3 to 5 times faster than adults because they’re not fully developed. Heat stroke can occur when body temperature passes 104ºF (40ºC) causing dizziness, disorientation, agitation, confusion, sluggishness, seizure, loss of consciousness, and/or death. Elderly people and those who are overweight are also more at risk of overheating.

Dogs, especially short-muzzled pets such as Shih-Tzus, Pekingese, English bulldogs, French bulldogs, boxers, etc. or ones with thick or dark-colored coats are more heat-intolerant than their furry counterparts. Canines that have suffered heat stroke previously or are obese are also more at risk.

Dogs don’t have sweat glands all over their bodies like we do, so they have just 2 ways to cool off – panting and releasing heat through their paws. (Yes, dogs do perspire through their feet since there's no fur covering them, but their sweat glands are tiny compared to humans.) They can't effectively get rid of excessive body heat by panting because there's not enough cool air to breathe in a blistering car.

Tips to Help Avoid This Life-threatening Situation

• Plan your errands in ways that won’t require you leaving your child or pet alone on a car. Use the drive-thru windows at restaurants, banks and dry cleaners, and pay at the pump for gas.
  
• Place your purse, wallet, briefcase, cell phone or any other item you know you'll need in the car's back seat.
  
• Keep a doll, stuffed animal or toy in your child’s unoccupied car seat, moving it to the front seat when your child is with you to serve as a reminder.
  
• Each time you put your child in the back seat, take off your left shoe and put it back there too.
  
• If your child goes missing, check the car first – including the trunk. Kids love to imitate their parents’ day-to-day activities, and a trunk makes a seemingly great hide-and-seek hiding spot to a child.
  
• If you see a child or pet left alone in a vehicle for more than a few minutes, get them out and call 911 – even if you have to break the window.
  

Laws to Help

Still as of April 2018, just 19 states have passed legislation allowing strangers to break a car window if they believe the situation threatens the child’s well-being.

Some states, but not all have passed legislation allowing strangers to break a car window if a pet locked inside is clearly in distress. Check here to find your state's animals-in-hot-car laws: