DECATUR, Ga. - June 11, 2003 - The SAFE KIDS of DeKalb warns parents that leaving a child unattended in a vehicle is never appropriate and can lead to deadly consequences. Since 1996, at least 175 children in the U.S. have died of heat stroke after being trapped inside a parked car. Most of the children were strapped in child safety seats and left behind or forgotten by an adult, while others gained access to an unlocked car and could not escape.

"No parent deliberately exposes their child to what becomes an oven-like temperature. The price they pay for this ignorance and absentmindedness is unimaginable," said Janet Weisman of the SAFE KIDS program. "Our job is to convince parents that kids, cars and heat are a deadly combination."

When left in a hot vehicle, a young child's core body temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult, causing permanent injury or even death. Recent research shows that on a 95-degree day the temperature within a small vehicle can exceed 122 degrees within 20 minutes and 150 degrees within 40 minutes. It also shows that even when outdoor temperatures are as low as 60 degrees, a vehicle can heat to dangerous levels.