Mr Davis joined Kidsafe Victoria at Coburg Medical Centre to demonstrate how quickly the inside temperature of a car can increase to dangerous levels.

David Davis, Victorian Minister for Health with Ambulance Victoria representatives, and Katherine and Ada, aged two years, at the launch this morning.

``Parents should be aware that in Victoria, it is against the law to leave a child unattended in a vehicle,'' Mr Davis said.

``Last year (2009) alone, there were 1272 children rescued from locked cars.

``With hot weather, such as today, leaving a child unsupervised in a car _ even for a short amount of time _ can cause injury and potentially death.''

Mr Davis said that on a typical summer's day, the temperature inside a parked car can be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature.

Tests conducted on a 29°C day, with the car's air conditioning having cooled the interior to 19.2°C, it took just 1.5 minutes to reach the outside temperature (30.4°C).

It took 6.5 minutes to reach 40.5°C, more than double the initial interior temperature.

Mr Davis said these dangerous temperatures could rapidly lead to heat distress, to which children were likely to succumb very quickly.

``Research has shown that leaving the window down has little effect, so take your child with you after parking your car, even to run a quick errand,'' Mr Davis said.

President of Kidsafe Victoria, Dr Mark Stokes, said children in the past had died after being left in parked cars.

``Due to their smaller body size and underdeveloped nervous system, children have an ineffective cooling system,'' Dr Stokes said.

``Information for parents and carers about the impact of leaving a child in a hot car is available on the Kidsafe website at  www.kidsafevic.com.au

The fact sheet Kids in Hot Cars provides information and advice for parents about summer safety issues including:

·         Providing plenty of cool fluids to avoid dehydration during long trips;

·         Dressing children appropriately in hot weather;

·         Ensuring all children wear well fitted, and age appropriate restraints; and

·         Plan travel in the cool hours of the day.

*In January 2007, a little girl died in the back of a car in Melbourne's western suburbs, with the temperature in Melbourne about 31 degrees Celsius."