BARGERSVILLE, Ind. — As scorching temperatures return to central Indiana this week, public safety officials are reminding parents how dangerous the temperatures can be inside a car, especially for children.
Indiana State Police and the Bargersville Fire Department hosted a hot car demonstration Tuesday to show exactly how hot it can get. They want people to know that temperatures inside of a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in just the first 10 minutes.
Bargersville Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Pruitt sat in an SUV for more than 15 minutes as we watched temperatures climb to 100 degrees.
First responders say children can overheat four times faster than adults, and the situation can turn deadly within minutes.
"All you've got in your mind sometimes is, 'I'm going to work or I have some other destination I have to be,' and we forget about the little one in the backseat, and it is an accident," Pruitt said. "We know the majority of these cases are accidents that happen because we get distracted and we forget."
Pruitt said it's a good idea to put something in the backseat with your child, like a bag or purse, to help you remember to check the backseat before getting out of the car.