Sobering lesson accompanies sweet snack

Officials use s'mores cooked in a hot car as a reminder of the dangers that vehicles hold for children and pets

The temperature inside the two cars in the home improvement store's parking lot Tuesday exceeded 150 degrees -- hot enough to melt chocolate for an afternoon snack.

Inside each car sat 12 pieces of chocolate between 12 marshmallows and 12 graham cracker squares. The s'mores were ready to eat in less than 15 minutes, even with the partly cloudy sky and light breeze.

"You can make a campfire treat in your car in the summer because it gets so hot so quickly," said Kelly Ransdell, director of Safe Kids North Carolina.

The group, along with the state Department of Insurance, organized the demonstration Tuesday at Lowe's on Capital Boulevard to raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children and pets in unattended vehicles where temperatures can reach 180 degrees.

Even five to 10 minutes may be deadly, organizers said. Thirteen children in North Carolina died from hyperthermia, or advanced heat stroke, after being left in cars from 1998 to 2006, according to an ongoing study by San Francisco State University's Department of Geosciences.

In November, three sisters in Forest City died after family members said they climbed into a car as their mother slept after a long night at work.

In 2005, an 8-year-old boy in Asheville died from heat exposure in his mom's car while she worked a double shift at a nursing home.

Nationwide, an average of 36 children die each year from hyperthermia after being left in cars.

As of May, North Carolina was one of 17 states with proposed laws that would make it illegal to leave children in unsupervised cars. The bill passed the state House in May and was sent to a Senate judiciary committee, where it remains.

Eleven states already have such laws. In Kentucky, a person can be charged with second-degree manslaughter if a child younger than 8 dies when left in a car.

A North Carolina law would serve as a reminder for parents and other guardians, said organizers of the cooking demonstration Tuesday. They urged people who spot unattended children and pets in vehicles to call 911.

"We don't want anybody to be forgotten," said Kristin Milam, a spokeswoman for the insurance department.

Jim Long, the state's insurance commissioner, said that the key to safety is "education, education, education" and that parents have a responsibility to keep their children from the dangers of hot cars.

"It's like a sauna bath," Long said. "That child of yours can die in that car."

15: U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars so far in 2007

336: U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars from 1998 to 2007

4TH: Rank of North Carolina in the number of hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars from 1998 to 2006 (tied with Arizona with 13 deaths each).

36: Average number of U.S. child hyperthermia fatalities per year since 1998

21 MONTHS: Average age of children who died of hyperthermia from 1998 to 2006

For more information, visit www.ggweather. com/heat and www.safekids.org.

SOURCE: SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES

* Do not leave a child in an unattended car, even with the windows down.

* Be sure that all occupants leave the vehicle when unloading. Don't overlook sleeping babies.

* Always lock your car. If a child is missing, check the car first, including the trunk. Teach your children that vehicles are never to be used as a play area.

* Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat, and when the child is put in the seat, place the animal in the front with the driver. Or place your purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car.

* Make "look before you leave" a routine whenever you get out of the car.

* Have your child-care provider call you if your child does not show up for school.