SAN DIEGO — Hot weather can become dangerous quickly. It's important to never leave your kids or pets in your car.
Even on a mild sunny day, the inside of your car can reach deadly temperatures fast. Experts say a car can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.
"Anytime you see a child alone in a car, that's why it's so important to get involved. It can mean the difference between life and death," said Janette Fennell, the founder and CEO of Kids And Cars.
The organization advocates for child safety. Unfortunately, Fennell said hot car deaths happen every year.
"As much education and outreach that we've done, we don't see it getting much better," she said. "So far this year there have been six fatalities and on average about 38 children die every year"
The federal government is now getting involved.
"As part of the infrastructure bill we were able to get some legislation passed that said there has to be an alert that lets people know if a child is left alone in a vehicle," she said.
One of the alerts has a dash notification if you've opened your backdoor. Another will detect if a child or pet is in the backseat and can send you a message on your phone or even make the car alarm go off. Advocates are hopeful the technology will roll out in the next year. Until then prevention is key.
"Create reminders for yourself so that you don't forget about a child that might be sleeping in a car seat in the back," said Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Put your purse or wallet in the back seat. You can also place a stuffed animal in your child's car seat then put it upfront when your child is in the car as a visual reminder that they're inside.
Always lock your car, even when it's in your garage, and be mindful of where your car keys are to prevent your child from getting inside alone.
WATCH RELATED: Mother becomes advocate for hot car safety (Aug. 2019).