Hot Weather and Your Car
By: Luke Shaff ~
7/23/2020
Normally, when you are in the Seattle area you can always expect rain and clouds and cold weather. However, there are those waves of hot weather during the summer where it is almost 90 degrees all week (which is next week!) Many things can be damaged under the hood of the car (tubes break, things overheat, other things leak), but what about on the inside of the car? Here are some tips about the inside of your car when it is very hot.
- As we all know we should NEVER leave pets/children in cars on hot days. The temperature rises too quickly for dogs, and it is more difficult for them to regulate their body temperature and cool down. If you leave a dog inside a car on an 85-degree day for only 10 minutes…it is already 104 degrees for the dog in the car. That just increases with the length of time in the car as the temperature increases. Check out this link for more information about hot cars and pets! https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/pets-vehicles
- 52 kids just last year died from being left in a hot car. This number might not seem like a lot, but it is a scary number. This works the same way with pets in a car. Children do not know when too hot is too hot for them and their tiny bodies haven’t developed strong temperature regulation yet. A child’s body heats up 3-5 times faster an adult. For a child, heat stroke and death can happen when it is as low as 57 degrees outside. If you can’t take your child inside where you go, then please choose to not take them at all.
- Surprisingly, this next tip might surprise you as it does most people. Never leave water bottles in your car on a hot day. Why, you might ask? The heat reflects off the water bottle and if it gets hot enough, then it can potentially start a fire. With the water bottle, it is important to not leave cans of anything (soda, sunscreen…etc.) as well, in a hot car. The heat can expand in the can and then explode. It is so important to ensure that all liquids and water bottles are not left in hot spots in your car.
- As well as aerosol cans and water bottles, electronics, batteries, and lighters can all cause the same outcome: fires. Each of these things have flammable attributes in them and when left in a hot car, it can cause severe damage.
- According to the Food and Drug Administration food borne illness bacteria can double every 20 minutes when left out even at room temperature. Groceries and food should not be left in a car for more than a half an hour when there is very hot weather, or it can cause illnesses and make you sick.
Always with hot weather, comes responsibility. Stay responsible and keep things under blanks or in the trunk, where the things you need can stay cool and not cause damage. Have a fun and warm few days!!
15145 NE 90th Street Redmond
Luke Shaff
