Parked Cars Can Get Dangerously Hot Even on Cool Days
KCRA reports on new research that indicates that parked cars can bet dangerously overheated even on days with highs in the 70s.
"There are cases of children dying on days as cool as 70 degrees Fahrenheit," lead researcher Dr. Catherine McLaren said in a news release.
Researchers measured the temperature rise inside a parked car on sunny days with highs ranging from 72 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. Their results, published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics, showed that a car's interior can heat up by an average of 40 degrees within an hour, regardless of outside temperature. And 80 percent of the temperature rise occurred within the first half-hour.
The article also said that running the air conditioner before turning off the car or cracking the window had an insignificant effect on keeping the car cool. So the bottom line is that you need to take your kids with you and not leave them in a car that could overheat.
