Parents warned over kids left in cars

even for a few minutes.

As part of a continuing joint, educational campaign with Kidsafe NSW, the NRMA is distributing 40,000 brochures throughout local communities on the dangers of leaving children alone in cars and installing 5000 reminder signs outside NSW preschools.

NRMA Director Coral Taylor said the message was simple No matter how quick the errand, children and babies are never safe if left alone in a car.

"NRMA and Kidsafe NSW want to drive the message home that leaving a child in a parked car is illegal and can be very dangerous," Ms Taylor said.

"Despite a recent run of relatively cooler weather, Sydney's hot climate can quickly turn cars into ovens. On a typical summer day, the temperature inside a parked car can be 30 to 40 degrees hotter than the outside air temperature.

"The NRMA takes safety very seriously - regardless of whether someone is an NRMA Member or not, NRMA patrols will drop everything to respond to a baby, child or animal locked in a car.

"This is a busy time of year and parents running errands are often unwilling to wake sleeping children or take them with them while quickly running errands. It's just not worth the risk - the younger the children the higher the risk of dehydration and heat stroke.

"The NRMA is pleased to be working with Kidsafe NSW on this important community awareness campaign."

Kidsafe NSW Deputy Chairperson and Trauma Clinical Nurse at Sydney Childrens Hospital Randwick Ms Kellie Wilson said there have been many child care centres asking for help to increase awareness among parents and carers of child safety in cars.

"The signs being placed outside NSW preschools and the safety brochures will be a visible reminder for parents to do the right thing," Ms Wilson said.

Meanwhile, Victorians have been warned that parents who leave young children unattended in cars on hot days face possible jail time.

With the mercury set to hit 40 degrees celsius in much of Victoria on Friday, authorities warn that cars can become a broiling death trap within minutes.

Victorian Health Minister David Davis said more than 1200 children were rescued from locked cars in 2009, putting their lives at risk.

It takes less than seven minutes for a car to reach 40 degrees on a 29 degree day, and parents who left children locked inside risked fines and up to three months jail, he said.

"Please do not leave your children in the car unattended ... on a day in the 30s and 40s because it puts them at serious risk and there will be lives lost if people don't heed this message,'' Mr Davis told reporters.

The minister was joined by Kidsafe Victoria and paramedics as he pleaded with parents to always take their children with them when they get out of the car on warm days.

Ambulance Victoria northern region group manager Tony Elliott said paramedics had rescued as many as nine children in one day from hot cars this year.

He said leaving children unattended in cars for any amount of time was not acceptable, particularly when the outside temperature soared into the high 30s.

"It only takes approximately 20 minutes for a car to heat up to  60 degrees; that for a young child can become fatal. Very quickly they will dehydrate and then become unconscious and, in worst case scenarios, they can actually go into cardiac arrest. One minute's not okay. If you're going in to pay for petrol and doing anything, take the child with you, do not leave the child in the car'' Mr Elliott said.

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

"Due to their smaller body size and underdeveloped nervous system children have an ineffective cooling system,'' he said.