We're right in the thick of it. I'm talking about those hot and sticky summer months. It's been brutal with 100-degree temperatures as far as the eye can see in the forecast. This is the time of year when hot car deaths most often occur in Texas, leaving families devastated.

I recently saw an article from Today where the Department of Transportation claimed that one child dies in a car due to heat approximately every 10 days. So I wanted to let you in on these simple ways to protect our kiddos.

LOOK: 6 SIMPLE WAYS TO PREVENT HOT CAR DEATHS IN TEXAS

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Look Before You Lock

Develop a habit of double-checking your back seat every time you leave your vehicle. Make it a practice to look for any passengers, especially young children, who might be left behind.


 

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Photo: Canva
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Use Reminder Tools

Check out technological gadgets like smartphone apps or car seat alarms to remind you of a child in the back seat. These apps send notifications to your phone, making sure you don't forget your precious cargo.


 

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Photo: Canva
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Keep Valuables in the Back Seat

Place valuable items like your phone, purse, or backpack in the back seat. This simple practice forces you to check the back area before leaving the car.


 

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Photo: Canva
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Educate Caregivers

Ensure that all caregivers, including babysitters and grandparents, are well-informed about the risk of leaving children unattended in hot vehicles.


 

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Photo: Canva
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Lock Your Vehicle

Always lock your car doors, even when parked in your driveway or garage. This helps prevent children from climbing into the car on their own and becoming trapped inside.


 

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Photo: Canva
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Community Awareness

Consider supporting community awareness campaigns that focus on hot car safety. You can work with local groups, schools, and law enforcement to spread the message and educate others about this deadly issue.

By putting these preventative measures into play, we can help cut the number of hot car deaths in Texas. Even a few minutes in a sweltering vehicle can have fatal results for young children. Let's prioritize and work towards no family ever having to go through the horror.

It's no secret that Texas summers bring on some crazy heat. The United States as a whole has been experiencing extreme temperatures. Look below to find out how out of control it's been for each state in recent years.

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.