PARENTS are urged not to let their children play with engine keys after statistics revealed 24 bayside youngsters have been rescued from locked cars since January.
While the number is down from years previous, compared with 28 rescues in 2015 and 38 in 2014, RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said it was a worrying, yet preventable trend.
Most of the lock-ins were accidental, she said.
“It happens when parents leave their kids with the car keys and they (the kids) play with them while the parents are putting groceries into the back,” she said.
“The parents then hit the boot shut and realise the children have locked themselves in the car.”
With the interior of a car able to exceed 40C in as little as seven minutes, even if parked in the shade, passengers locked in are at risk of serious injury or death from heat-related stress.
In tests performed as part of the RACQ Temperature in Cars Survey, internal surface temperatures of a car parked outside on an ambient day reached up to 82.6 degrees Celsius.
“The time it takes (to reach maximum temperatures in the vehicle) depends on the time of year, but it doesn't affect how hot it gets,” Ms Ritchie said.
Three children on average are rescued from locked cars each day in Queensland, with the number of pets rescued not much better.
About two animals every day are saved from locked cars across the state, with 17 rescued from locked cars in Redland City since January.
If your child is locked in a car, call 000 or RACQ on 131111.
