“Kids and Car Safety” shares children car heat safety tips

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY)- With temperatures rising and many kids playing outside this summer, the "Kids and Car Safety" organization wants to remind families how to keep children safe in and around motor vehicles.

Kids and Car says 38 kids die in a hot car on average per year. That’s one child every nine days.

They say the majority of hot car deaths were where parents unknowingly left their child in the heat. They say it often happens when there’s a change in a parent’s normal morning routine but they're on autopilot.

They remind parents that it can happen to anyone and to never leave your kid in a car, even for a minute.

“It doesn’t have to be a 100 degree day for a child to suffer from heat stroke inside of a closed vehicle because a vehicle acts like a greenhouse," says Kids and Car Safety director Amber Rollins.

They advise parents to always open the back door every time they park to make sure their child is not back there.

They also suggest families to keep a reminder item in their car, like a stuffed animal, as a visual reminder that your child is inside.

They also say to teach your children to honk the horn and turn on the hazard lights if they're stuck inside.