To the Editor:

According to a fact sheet at http://ggweather.com/heat the total number of heat-related deaths from kids being left in cars from 1998 to date is 496 with 20 already having occurred this year.

The Kids and Cars website at www.kidsandcars.org gives the following advice:

• Children should never be left alone in a vehicle, not even to run a quick errand

• Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in the garage and driveway

• Keys should never be left within the reach or sight of children

• Teach children never to play in or around a vehicle

• Check to ensure that all child passengers have left the vehicle after it is parked

• Don’t overlook sleeping infants

The website reports “young children, the elderly and pets are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are ill-equipped to fight off the heat and resulting dehydration.”

So please, don’t leave a child in a car alone for even one second. A few minutes of unburdened time may end up costing you a lifetime of guilt and grief. Of course, that’s a small price compared to what the child pays with — his life.