What to know about hot car dangers for children amid excessive heat warning

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The threat of triple digits Tuesday in the Philadelphia region has experts sounding the alarm about staying safe in the heat, especially when it comes to vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

AAA is sharing some important reminders if you have to be out and about with your little ones.

Experts say that on a 95-degree day, a car can heat up to more than 180 degrees.

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They also say a child's body heats up three to five times faster than an adult's body, and that it takes just 15 minutes for a child left inside a hot vehicle to suffer life-threatening brain, liver and kidney injuries.

AAA reports that in Pennsylvania, at least 14 children have died in a hot vehicle since 1990, with the most recent happening in Bucks County in 2019.

That same year, a new Pennsylvania law went into effect to protect children in hot cars, where good Samaritans are protected from liability for damages if they believe a child is in imminent danger and have tried to contact the vehicle owner or first responders.

Experts say putting a personal item, like your cell phone, in the back gives you another reason to check the backseat.

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There have been 979 children who have died nationwide due to Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH) since 1998, according to NoHeatStroke.org. There were 29 such deaths nationwide last year and 10 so far this year, with five in July alone.

When it comes to heatstroke, animals are also at risk, AAA says. Leaving them in a vehicle while running errands, taking a break at a rest stop during a road trip or for any other reason, can have deadly consequences. Animals left in hot cars can face irreversible organ damage, heatstroke, brain damage and, in extreme cases, death.