State child welfare officials and car dealers this summer plan to to promote the “Not Even For a Minute” campaign, urging adults not to leave child alone in hot vehicles.

A child left alone in a vehicle, even for a short time, is in danger of abduction, injury, dehydration and even death. Approximately 40 children die each year in the United States, and hundreds more are injured after being left unattended in a vehicle, according to a study published by Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The temperature inside a car can rise as much as 19 degrees in just 10 minutes, the study noted. One child died in New Jersey after being left in a hot vehicle last summer.

“We are reminding parents that an unspeakable tragedy can happen in a manner of minutes,” said Kimberly Ricketts, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families who launched the public affairs campaign from Miller Buick Pontiac GMC dealership in Woodbridge. “No matter how busy caregivers get, they must never leave a child in a vehicle without a parent or caregiver.”

The department and the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers plan to to spread the word, and more than 90 dealerships said they will participate by distributing posters, visor cards, and car window stickers in both English and Spanish.

(Source: NJ Star Ledger)