Naples police urge parents to act fast as hot car deaths reported in Florida

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—Two children have died after being left inside hot cars in Broward County in just over a week as Southwest Florida continues to experience dangerous heat.

Collier County spent much of the day under a heat advisory, with feels-like temperatures climbing as high as 108 degrees. Safety experts say it's the kind of heat that can turn a parked car dangerous in just minutes.

Pernille Rutila's children are grown and out of the house. She says her instinct to protect the ones she loves has never changed.

"The dog, this is my child now," Rutila said.

Recent hot car tragedies involving young children have left her thinking about just how quickly a moment of distraction can change a family's life.

"It's devastating. I think, too, people are so busy nowadays, and they're going from one thing to another to another. They're not really in the moment," Rutila said.

Kids and Car Safety says many of these tragedies happen after a change in routine, when the brain goes on what experts call "autopilot."

"No one is immune to this, and this is every parent's worst nightmare, and it really, you don't recognize it can happen to you until it does," said Chloe Burke, Kids and Car Safety manager.

While some automakers are beginning to add new safety features, Kids and Car Safety says parents and caregivers still can't rely on technology alone.

"Reminders are simply not enough," Burke said.

Simple habits, like checking the back seat before locking your car, remain the best defense. That's a message Naples Police are also sharing.

Lt. Bryan McGinn shared what officers do during these hot summer days.

"Being a presence in the area, doing a park walk and talk with community members, part of that is education," McGinn said.

For Rutila, preventing the next tragedy isn't about relying on a car's technology.

"Be in the moment. Be with your child," Rutila said.

The Naples Police Department says if you ever see a child or pet alone inside a car and believe they're in distress, call 911 immediately. Officers say they would rather respond to a false alarm than arrive too late.