RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The summer heat is hitting hard already this year, and AAA says drivers need to double-check their vehicles.

It has a checklist drivers can use for their cars before they hit the road in a heat wave.

First up is the air conditioner.

“It’s a problem if you can't keep that vehicle cool, especially if you get long backup traffic, say around the Fourth of July, and you can't open the windows and get some of that cool breeze coming through,” said Morgan Dean with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “That can really be a danger to you and everybody else in that vehicle.”

Tires also need to be checked.

“Tires can actually start to, in some spots where they're sitting, can actually melt into the roadway, if there's not enough of that tread left,” said Dean who adds loss of tread can lead to other issues on the road.

Another important thing to check is the battery because extreme temperatures can impact how long they will last.

But the most important things to check are children and pets in the back seat

Cars heat up exponentially when turned off and can be life-threatening to any person or pet inside.

Dean suggests putting your cell phone in the backseat so you have to turn around to get it and see who else is in the vehicle with you.

Along with the heat, the summer travel season is here, leading to higher demand for gas as people hit the road for a summer trip.

More demand means higher prices are likely, but Dean says AAA is also keeping an eye on the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s hurricane season, and a tropical storm can have a big impact on refineries all along the coast, which could push prices higher.