In the past 10 years, 340 children have died in America from heat exhaustion after being left in cars. And some blame new laws designed to save them as the reason.

When a child is left in a car, and the temperature quickly rises, its body goes into shock.

"Children have a higher anabolic rate that adults do," said Doctor Lynne Sears of the UW Hospital. "So, their body heat raises two or three times as fast than adults do. So, given a child in a hot car and an adult in a hot car the children will over heat much more quickly and the results can be much more severe than adults."

Just to give you an idea of how quickly a car can heat up, we put a temperature gauge in a car and it increased 13 degrees in 15 minutes. And it was about 5 in the afternoon when we did it.

Once the car reaches 125 degrees, a child can lasts only minutes.
But, new technologies have emerged that may soon assist parents.

Volvo's new S80 includes a devise than can detect a heart beat inside the car. But it will only work after someone triggers the alarm.

"While the current technology is not designed to alert a parent of a child left in a car, I would not be surprised that in the next few years this technology is available for a child safety function," said Jonathan Motley a sale man for Fields Volvo in Madison.

Some have blamed new child laws for the increase. After airbag deaths peaked in 1995, laws were passed that forced parents to put their children in the back seat, where they can be forgotten.
But no matter the reason or the solution, it always comes down to the basics.

"You just have to be always aware of your surroundings," added Sears. "Pay constant vigilance to your kids. I don't know if there is anything easier than that."

A Child Minder System is currently available for parents.
The unit sounds an alarm if the child is in the car seat and the parent walks more than 10 feet from the child.
NASA is also working on a similar device.
The agency created the device, after one of their employees left his 9 month old in a hot car.