The hot weather is slowly creeping in and as a result, several child safety advocates have already begun working on making sure that parents are aware of the importance of keeping their children out of hot vehicles.

Each year, a number of children are exposed to deadly illnesses or injuries linked to the heat. In most cases, children were injured because they were left unattended inside of hot vehicles. While most of these incidents are entirely accidental, parents could follow some important safety steps to ensure their children are not directly impacted.

According to several law enforcement officers and safety advocacy groups, parents must always keep in mind that the temperature inside the vehicles become too hot too quickly, making it deadly for small children who are still not ready to deal with heat the way adults are.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the temperature inside of a vehicle can rise quickly to 110 degrees even if the outside temperatures are in the mid-60s. Even if you believe that rolling the window a few inches down will make it better, remember that the temperature inside the vehicle may reach 109 degrees within 15 minutes even with the windows rolled down.

When it comes to deaths among infants, child safety advocates claim that the number one cause of death are auto accidents, but heatstroke follows close behind as the leading cause of non-crash deaths among children. Instead of ignoring the possible risks, parents should always remember that child safety involves everything from using the correct car safety seat, making sure the straps are correctly tightened, and also ensuring your child is not left alone in a vehicle.

To those who are not parents but who are also concerned about child safety, making sure that you check other vehicles as you’re walking up to the grocery store on a warm day could help to ensure a child left unattended is safe promptly. According to safety advocates, if you happen to see a child left unattended, make sure to contact the authorities immediately.

While Texas is the leader in the number of heatstroke deaths among children in the country, parents nationwide should not ignore the risks. Here in California, the threat is just as real. Parents and caregiver who are serious about child safety should stay alert.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit that focuses on making others aware about child safety urges parents to follow three simple steps to avoid hot car incidents. The first involves simply avoiding heatstroke by never allowing your child to be left alone in a car. The second step involves urging parents to create reminders such as placing a purse or another important object in the back seat with the child so that you do not leave your vehicle without having to check in the back first.

The third step urges parents and other motorists to take action by calling the authorities if they see a child left alone.