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NEW YORK (CBS) ― While cars are made to keep people safe, kids should always be with an adult when in or around one.

--Even with a window slightly open, on a typically sunny, summer day, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach potentially deadly levels within minutes. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child's core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death.

--Teach children that cars are not a play area. Children can accidentally put the car into gear, release the emergency brake causing the car to roll, or leave the car without the driver's knowledge.

--Restrain all children in the appropriate child restraint to prevent them from accidentally activating power windows that can cause injury.

--Young children should not have the opportunity to get in or out of a car without the assistance of an adult, especially in a parking lot or street. Children are unaware of hazards around them.

--Never leave a child alone in a vehicle.

--Always lock car doors and trunks and keep keys out of children's reach.

--Watch children closely around cars, particularly when loading or unloading.

--Check to ensure that all children leave the vehicle with you when you reach your destination. Don't overlook sleeping infants.

--Make sure that all children are restrained in the proper child restraint to prevent access to power windows. Remind older children that are over 80-100 pounds and 4'9" to stay properly seated in the safety belt. Children under that height and weight should be in a car seat with a harness or a booster seat. Children of any age should not have unsupervised access to power windows.

--Do not take your child out of the car seat while the car's engine is running or the car Ii parked where it could be stuck by another vehicle.

--Kids should understand the importance of staying calm and low-key in the back seat. If they are jumping around or yelling, it can distract the driver and put all the passengers at risk

--Kids need to follow the rules if they are in a friend's or relative's car, even if other passengers don't follow the rules. If your child is asked to sit in the front seat of someone else's car, he or she should politely decline the offer and tell the driver that he or she would prefer to sit in the back seat.


Air Bags and Children

--All children 12 years old and younger should always ride in the back seat, and in the middle of the back seat whenever possible. All passengers must have their seat belts buckled.

--Air bags present a serious danger for babies riding in rear-facing car seats. Never place a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat of a car that is equipped with a passenger-side air bag. The safest position for a child seat is wherever it fits securely in the back seat.

--A convertible car seat or booster seat should be placed in the back seat. If you have no choice and must place a car seat in the front, push the seat as far back as it will go.

--A law passed in 1995 allows car manufacturers to install a manual cut-off switch that temporarily disables a passenger-side air bag. As recommended by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, if you must place a car seat in the front seat (that is, if your car is a two-seater or if the car seat will not fit in the back seat) and your car has this cut-off switch, disable the air bag for the duration of the ride. Be sure to switch the air bag back on when you remove the car seat.

You can check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's web site for recall notices NHTSA

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