Summer heat blasts, AAA warns of leaving children in hot cars

BALTIMORE -- It's been a really hot summer so far and it's prompting AAA to put out a warning: don't forget your children in the car.

So far this year, AAA said nine children across the U.S. have died of pediatric vehicular heatstroke, meaning they were left in a hot car for too long.

Last year, 33 died in total.

For Anita Smith, from Reisterstown, it's rough news to hear. 

While it's hard for her to imagine how this can happen, she said she can see how families can get distracted.

"Both parents in a family have to work nowadays to get by and everybody's on such a busy schedule," Smith said. "Even just with one child and two working parents, it's difficult."

AAA said more than half of these deaths, around 53 percent, are because the children are simply forgotten in the backseat. 

A change in routine, like the summer break, can cause this to happen.

Sometimes, children are left in the car while their parent or guardian is doing something like going to the store. AAA said this accounts for around 20 percent of these deaths.

Even on a day that doesn't seem too hot, it can still get extremely hot inside your car. Once your car is closed, all it takes is 30 minutes for 80 percent of the total heat increase to happen.

According to AAA, the temperature inside a closed vehicle can be 50 or more degrees than the outside temperature.

Ragina Ali, manager of public and governmental affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said it helps to leave something important in the backseat with your kid to ensure you don't forget them.

"Sometimes we'll encourage people to put your purse or briefcase--or something you know you'll definitely need when you get to a location--in the back with the child as another reminder," Ali said.

However, newer cars are starting to remind you, too, with rear-seat passenger alert systems being installed.

"[These systems] may detect weight, some more advanced systems may detect movement in the vehicle," Ali said. "By 2025, most U.S. cars will have that alert system in the vehicle."

If you see a child unattended in a hot vehicle, call 911.