February 18th, 2025Ambulance Victoria warns on leaving kids, pets locked in cars

This summer, Ambulance Victoria paramedics have already responded to more than 230 reports of people locked in cars.

Ambulance Victoria (AV) is now warning people that leaving pets or people in cars remains an ongoing danger as we experience high temperatures across the state.

“The temperature inside a vehicle can double and become deadly within minutes,” an AV spokesperson says.

“It’s particularly dangerous for children to be left inside vehicles, as a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult.”

Ambulance Victoria is advising all vehicle drivers to:

Always take children and elderly people and pets with you whenever you get out of the car.

Keep your keys with you and be alert while loading family members in and out of vehicles.

Don’t hesitate. If someone does get locked in a vehicle, call Triple Zero (000). Temperatures inside a car can become dangerously high very quickly.

Ambulance Victoria is strongly advising that people should never leave children, elderly people or pets in a vehicle.

This story based on an Ambulance Victoria report