Summer weather in Lexington County is infamously hot.

Now is the time to talk about heat stroke prevention amid children.

Nationwide, 851 children have died due to vehicular heatstroke since 1998, according to the NHTSA, and 52 of those happened last year.

Over half those deaths were because a child was forgotten in a vehicle.

A child’s body temperature can rise up to 5 times faster than an adult’s.

A heatstroke kicks in when your body temperature reaches 104 degrees, and a child can die when they reach 107 degrees.

A car’s internal temperature can reach 110 degrees in minutes.

No parent thinks they’ll forget a child in the car, but even a great parent can forget a sleeping child in the back seat, especially when there’s a change in your routine.

Remember to look before you lock your car doors:

• Set a reminder on your phone to alert you to check the backseat.

• Put your purse or briefcase next to the car seat to remind yourself that a child is back there.

• Write a reminder to yourself and place it on the dash or door to check the back seat.

• Ask your daycare provider to call you if your child doesn’t arrive.

• Never let kids play in an unattended vehicle; lock it after exiting and put the keys up out of their reach.

If you are a bystander and see a child alone in a hot vehicle, make sure the child is okay and responsive. Attempt to locate the parents. If the child is not okay or is unresponsive, call 911 immediately.