Today is May 27th, 2016 is National Heat Awareness Day, and you should be aware of the real risks of summer heat, especially in a car. 

With summer-like temperatures in full effect in Florida, the temperatures will only get hotter when summer technically starts on the summer solstice, June 21.

Think the heat isn’t that bad? In Chicago, over 700 people died during the 1995 heatwave and about 50,000 people died in Europe in 2003 during a heatwave.

That reality is not pretty, and even though there have been serious consequences people are still poorly educated about the dangers of heat and one’s exposure to high temperatures.

One of the areas where there is a lack of knowledge about heat, is how car temperatures are dramatically affected by sunshine, outer temperatures and time.  The bottom line, the temperature inside a car is directly related to how hot it is outside. Whether or not the car has tint, is parked in the shades or if it isn't a sunny day, if it is hot out, the temperature in a car can quickly increase.

• On a mild day where the temperature is around 75 degrees, it only takes 10 minutes for the temperature in a car to rise to 100 degrees.
• On hotter days, say 85 degrees, the temperature inside a car rises to 120 degrees in as little as 30 minutes.
• In under an hour, on a cool day of 60 degrees, the temperature inside a car can double!

Although it is easy for us to leave our pet or young kids in the car with the windows down because we’re running a “quick” errand, it is dangerous and not right. Not to mention, making your animal covered in hair or fun sit in a car that could be as hot as 150 degrees.