Lucas J. Mire, weather.com

As summer heat spikes each year, so do news reports of young children dying after being left unattended in cars. Shocking reports of infants and toddlers who spent their last hours strapped in their car seats seem to pop up all-too-frequently in summer months.

In fact, according to a study by General Motors and the National Safe Kids Campaign, more than 30 children died in hot cars last year alone. Since 1996, more than 150 children from all regions of the country have perished in cars that literally became ovens.

When it comes to cars, kids and hot days, one might wonder: how hot is hot? Or, in other words, when does the heat begin to pose health risks to young children left in cars?

"That question should never be asked; it should never go through a parent or caregiver's mind," said Michael McGeehin, Ph.D., division director at the National Center for Environmental Health.

"The absolute rule is don't ever leave a child in a car unattended. Children should never be left alone in a car, running or not running. On a sunny day with the windows closed, the temperature will spike dramatically, very quickly."

Car interiors really cook

How hot can it get in there?

Experiments show that when the outside temperature is 95 degrees, the interior of a car can climb as high as 180 degrees in well under an hour. The heat can get so intense that car dashboards can double as ovens, becoming hot enough to cook poultry or even bake cookies. (See adjacent video report.)

"Being in an enclosed car without the ability to leave will overwhelm just about any human being," said McGeehin.

While that may make sense logically, all too often it seems parents and caregivers believe leaving young children in a car unattended is acceptable. Nine percent of caregivers and parents surveyed in the Safe Kids/General Motors survey agreed with that statement, as did 18 percent of parents aged 18-24.

However, the number of adults polled who said that it is never acceptable to leave a child unattended in a vehicle increased significantly, up from 75 percent in 1999 to 87 percent in 2002.

It's a point that McGeehin and child safety advocates vehemently want to convey.

"There really is no time limit," re-iterated McGeehin. "A child should never be left in a car. Period."

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