42 U.S. Children Died In Hot Cars Last Year

While warm weather conjures up thoughts of holidays, the beach and barbecues, it can prove extremely dangerous. People running errands should never leave their children or pets in a car in sunny weather, even for a few minutes. If it's 85°F outside, the temperature inside a vehicle can soar to more than 100°F in little more than 10 minutes, even if the windows are kept slightly open. The lethality of warm cars can be seen from heartbreaking data released by the National Safety Council.

It shows that across the United States, nine children have already died in 2018 after being left in a hot car. That's alarming considering that most parts of the country still have to experience their warmest months of the year. Last year, 42 children died from heatstroke after being left in warm vehicles while in 2016, the number of deaths was 39. Regardless of the weather, it is illegal to leave minors unattended in a vehicle in 19 U.S. states.