A Summer Reminder: Avoid Leaving Children and Pets in Hot Cars

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane

It’s a common enough practice, something that most people don’t give a second thought to. Every day, parents and pet owners leave their children or prized pooch in the car while they dash into the store. This practice usually passes without incident. However, during the summer this can lead to deadly consequences if appropriate precautions are not taken.

With the temperature rising in the summer months, even a mere 78 degree day can spell disaster. According to CNN, weather during the summer can create a greenhouse effect in cars. This occurs when the heat outside gets trapped inside of the car and has nowhere else to go. Heat is conducted in cars due to dark paneling and seats, and once it has been brought in it has no easy way of getting out. The lasting heat can cause a 30 to 40 degree increase in just one hour, 70 percent occurring within the first 30 minutes.

The situation only becomes more precarious when children and pets are left locked inside during this intense heating. Children tend to produce more body heat than adults on average given their smaller size. Added to the heat of the car, this can cause the child to develop heat stroke. Heat stroke occurs when body temperate reaches over 104 degrees, causing an overwhelming sensation to the brain’s temperature control. Many symptoms can occur with heat stroke, such as dizziness, sluggishness, loss of consciousness, and even, in extreme cases, death. Statistics from the National Weather Service claim that in 2015 twenty-four children were killed after being left alone in a hot car.

Pets can undergo the same tragic fate. Animals tend to be effected by the heat more quickly than children. Some pets may suffer from heat stroke after only being left in the car for 15 minutes. Being locked in a hot car is especially harsh for pets, given that they relieve themselves through panting, which may not be possible if they begin developing signs of heatstroke or the degree inside the car becomes unbearable.

What should you do if you find yourself in a situation where you see a child or pet locked in a car? If you are in a crowded area and believe that a child has been left unattended for some time, take down basic information about the car and the license plate number. Then, quickly speak to the manager or owner of surrounding businesses. They can contact the owner quickly and the child will be spared. Only in emergency situations should you first call the police and then break a window to save a child. The same procedures can be followed in rescuing pets.

Remember, simple steps can be taken to make situations like these preventable. Place valuable items like purses or briefcases near the child or pet for a quick reminder that they are in the car. Write a note or remind yourself several times verbally that the child or pet is in the car. Awareness and active steps like these are key to avoiding needless accidents and keeping children and pets safe.

Staff Photo by Elizabeth Lane