'Never leave a child or pet alone in a car'| TXDoT educating the community

As you drive to work or school tomorrow, you may notice new messages from the Texas Department of Transportation's digital signs along the highway.

The messages read, "Never leave a child or pet alone in a car" and, "If a child or pet is alone in a car, get help."

TXDOT kicked off this safety campaign in response to the deaths of two children last week who were left in parked vehicles during hot weather.

"TXDOT's mission is safety, and that's not only safety for people in cars and driving on the roads, but it's for the general public. And so, with these two tragedies that have occurred, it's a little thing that we're doing, but we hope it's a big reminder not to leave a child in a car. So that's why we're putting them up on our digital message boards," said Rickey Dailey, Public Information Officer for TXDOT's Corpus Christi district.

When you're at home, make sure your vehicle is locked. That will keep children from getting into a vehicle and accidentally locking themselves in.

A locked vehicle can heat up 19 degrees every ten minutes, and cracking a window doesn't help during the sweltering heat.

Experts say a child's body heats up five times faster than an adult's body.