Hot Cars Can Kill

Hot cars can be deadly, especially with the heat waves that have been striking the country this summer.  It is important to spread awareness of the dangers of leaving a child in a car in the heat of the summer.  This year in 2013 20 children have already died of heat stroke from being left in cars in the United States.  Last year 33 children died, which is still less than the average of 37 per years. 

Even one is too many this number should be zero, and without the information out there it will never fall to zero.  The windows of a car act as a catalyst for rapid temperature increases inside the vehicle.  It essentially becomes a green house, letting in a lot of sunlight which is absorbed and trapped inside the car.  The color of the car's interior is actually a bigger factor in the temperature in the car than the exterior paint.  Other parts of the car can also aid in the rising temperatures, like the dashboard and steering wheel.  Dark colors can cause these parts to hit temperatures of 200 degrees when stationary in the sun, which then radiate their own heat.  Children, being less developed, can heat up three to four times faster than adults, which makes it even more dangerous for them to be left alone in a car. According to  Jan Null, CCM at San Francisco University, in the worst case scenario death can occur in just 15 minutes in a hot enough car.  Pets, like children, have a lesser ability to cool themselves compared to adults, and each year thousands of animals perish in overheated vehicles each year.  So before you leave your vehicle,  be sure to double check your backseat for the most precious cargo that you can carry, your child.  Keep your child safe and never leave them unattended in a car no matter what the circumstances. 

For more information on the dangers of overheated cars visit http://local.msn.com/WeatherArticle.aspx?cp-documentid=259026203