Weather 
Temperatures don’t have to be summer-like outside for the inside of a car to heat up to dangerous temperatures.
This happens when sunlight passes through the windows of a car and warms up the interior. Then, the heat gets trapped inside the car, making it dangerously hot.
As summertime approaches, it’s important to remember just how quickly the temperature inside a car can become life-threatening.
At just 80 degrees outside, the inside of a car can climb to 114 degrees in just 30 minutes.
With outside temperatures in the 70s, the inside of a car can reach 104 degrees.
In some cases, the temperature inside your car can increase by as much as 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.
There have already been four hot car deaths reported across the U.S. so far in 2026, including one in Los Angeles.
According to the group Kids and Car Safety, approximately 40 children die in hot cars each year.
Eyewitness News spoke to AAA about how drivers can keep their kids and pets safe.
“One thing that we really do recommend is to put a shoe of the child, or a toy, or something in your line of sight to remind yourself that the child is in the vehicle with you,” said Marie Montgomery, a spokesperson with AAA. “Another aspect of this is that sometimes children can lock themselves into a vehicle if you’re not paying attention, and they’re out playing, they might get into a garage and let themselves into a vehicle. So it’s always a good idea to keep keys out of the reach of kids.”
Many people think that cracking the windows will help. While that will cool the car a tad and let the air circulate, it does not prevent the temperatures inside the car from becoming dangerously hot.
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