Leaving Pets and Kids in the Car: Should the Law Do More?

Each summer, the same old story comes up—irresponsible parents and pet owners leaving their children or pets in the car during times of extreme heat.

The result can be devestating.

According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, more than 500 children have died because of being left in a hot car since 1998—11 have been reported thus far in 2012. Most of the time, parents or pet owners tragically forget about their kids or pets. But the incident rarely finds sympathy amongst the public.

According to SafeKids.org, a child can die from heat stroke on a 72-degree day. That's because their bodies aren’t the same as adults and a child’s body can heat up five times faster than an adult’s.

And according to the Weather Channel, humid cars interfere with animals' ability to rid themselves of excess body heat. Most animals don't have the ability to sweat and cool themselves the way people do.

According to a MSNBC article, 19 states, including Missouri, have laws that address leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.

What do you think? Should the law be more stiff when it comes to parents or pet owners leaving children or pets in a car during a hot day? Or is the law working as is?