ATLANTA — As temperatures heat up, state officials are reminding drivers to “Look Again” if they have a child in the car.
Officials say when the outside temperature is 85 degrees or higher, the inside of a vehicle can reach over 100 degrees in a matter of minutes. Data also shows that when it is 80 degrees outside, temperatures inside a vehicle can exceed 100 degrees.
Capt. Maurice Raines with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says children can suffer from heat stroke faster than adults.
“The most precious commodity in the world that we have, and that is our children, is in the vulnerable most state there is when a vehicle is left unattended by an adult and the car is constantly getting hot with a child in it,” Raines said.
State officials say last year, 31 children across the country died after being left in parked cars.
Commissioner Amy Jacobs with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning says the threat is ongoing.
“Pediatric vehicular heat stroke is a real ever present threat to children, and 100% preventable,” Jacobs said.
Officials say so far this year, eight children in Georgia have been left inside vehicles.
In July 2025, a Snellville father was arrested charged after being accused of leaving his two young children inside a hot car parked at the Cumberland Mall in Cobb County.
Police in Douglasville issued a reminder to the public not to leave children or pets inside hot cars to prevent pediatric vehicular heat stroke related deaths.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.