It’s getting pretty hot out there.

With temperatures expected to soar into the 90s this week, it’s going to get even more steamy. Much is often rightfully made about protecting senior citizens during this type of weather because they are among the most vulnerable to such illnesses as heatstroke.

But children are also vulnerable — especially if left to sit in cars while their parents run errands. In a perfect world, this should never happen.

Setting aside any dangers related to leaving your child unattended, it’s especially perilous to leave a child in a car when it’s hot outside. But the good news is that a law to protect good Samaritans from a legal standpoint when they attempt to rescue children from hot cars took effect Monday after Gov. Tom Wolf signed it into law a month ago.

The law provides protection from liability relating to damages incurred if a person believes that a child is in danger and takes steps to remove them from the car. Under the law, the rescuer would have to make a good-faith effort — if possible — to contact the vehicle owner.

Similarly, the governor signed a bill last fall that grants police officers and first responders the authority to enter a locked vehicle to remove pets that are in danger, although that bill did not enable civilians to do the same.

The new Good Samaritan law is an excellent idea. According to the National Safety Council, a total of 51 children died of pediatric vehicular heatstroke in the United States in 2018, making it the largest number of child deaths in any year on record.

The council said that weather can often be deceptive, so leaving a child in a car is never a good idea. Even on mild or cloudy days, temperatures inside cars can reach levels that threaten a young life. Leaving windows slightly cracked makes little difference.

On average, about 38 children under age 15 die each year from heatstroke in the U.S. after being left in a vehicle. In all but three states, at least one child has died each year during the past 20 years from being in a hot car during summer months.

Although leaving your child unattended outside of your vehicle is also a bad idea for obvious reasons, the council warns that parents who do so should ensure the car is locked, so children can’t gain access.

It’s great to see Pennsylvania taking steps to provide protection for those who spot a child in a dangerous situation and feel compelled to act.

And we urge the state to extend this protection for residents — and not just emergency responders — to do the same for pets. In the dog days of summer, the only time people or animals belong in a hot vehicle is when it’s moving or briefly idling.