As children played on a nearby swing set, parents listened to community leaders at the Mercy Child Development Center about the dangers of leaving their children alone in cars during the hot summer months.

“What people need to know is that the heat will rise inside the car to a deadly level in a very short time and children can loose their lives if they are left in cars,” said Elena Acosta of Child Protective Services.

Organizers used thermometers to demonstrate how hot it can get inside a car. At the start of the demonstration the thermometer read 85 degrees inside the car, but within 15 minutes, the temperature soared to 115 degrees.

“The heat is deadly to their little bodies and these are child deaths that are totally preventable,” Acosta said. [Read more...]