DCF, FHP Team Up For "Look Before You Lock" Campaign

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - June, July, and August really turn up the heat in South Florida.

Temperatures hit the low to mid-90s while feels like temps easily head into the triple digits.

This summer the state's Department of Children and Families (DCF) is teaming up with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Nicklaus Health System, local law enforcement and fire-rescue to remind parents and caregivers to Look Before You Lock and remain vigilant while children are in or around vehicles.

Leaving children unattended in a vehicle, especially during our hottest months, can be fatal. Temperatures inside a vehicle can increase by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. Cracking a window open does little to keep the vehicle cool.

This heat can be deadly, especially for children because their body temperatures rise five times faster than adults.

Susan Auriemma is vice president of the advocacy group KidsandCars.org.

"We've seen scenarios so many times where parents believed they dropped their child off at daycare, when, in fact, they continued straight on to work and the child was left in the vehicle the entire day," she said.

The group says 27 children have died this year from heat stroke, compared to 43 last year. The national average is 37.

Auriemma says it's common for parents to lose awareness of their child in the car.

"It's a mistake to think it can't happen to you and not take measures to prevent children from being left alone in a vehicle," she said.

Parents and caregivers are urged to never leave a child alone in a vehicle and always remember to Look Before You Lock.