Heat In Your Car on the Peoria.com Forums

WMBD/WYZZ - Despite all the steps people take to stay safe outside during heat waves like the one central Illinois is currently seeing, one place is often overlooked when it comes to safety... your car. Overlooking that could be deadly.

"When you're in a car, especially that's been outside, you get a greenhouse effect, so it's much warmer inside the car," says Dr. George Hevesy, M.D., emergency department medical director at OSF Saint Francis. "Human beings don't do well in the heat of 140 to 150 degrees, which is how hot it can get inside a car."

We decided to see how hot a car in this type of heat could get for ourselves. We placed a thermometer on the dash of a closed car Tuesday morning with an outside temperature of 89 degrees. Within five minutes, the thermometer was already reading 120 degrees. Two hours later, the needle was literally melting off, probably somewhere in the 140 to 150 range. (The thermometer only read up to 120 degrees.)

"That impairs your ability to sweat because the body, since you're dry, says, 'I can't sweat,' so your temperature goes higher," Dr. Hevesy says.

It's more than just people, however. Pets being left in cars is a huge problem.

"Somebody will be shopping at Wal-Mart or whatever and there will be a dog in the car," says Kitty Yanko, education coordinator at the Peoria Humane Society. "Officers go out and try to locate the owners as quickly as possible to get the dog out of there."

Talk to Dr. Hevesy, he stressed that sometimes the best way to beat the heat is just to avoid it altogether.

"Prevention is what you need to practice, and common sense."

The moral of the story here is do not leave people or pets in a vehicle when it gets this hot, even with the windows cracked, because that simply does not cut it.

So we should call the cops when we are out and see a dog left in a car during these exteme temps window cracked or not ?

yep and my van only 1 winder opens . the way back windows only open a smidgen . the passenger side broke . so it bites big time

I know....and every year children and pets die when left in a hot car. That and drownings and heat related deaths, sadly is all part of summer.

In the summer, I will always go out and open my windows to let the heat out, whether I am going anywhere or that day or not. If/when I do decide to go somewhere and I usually do, my car isn't swealtering. I would NEVER think of putting or leaving Sheriff in a car that hot.

Let's say you have been to the store or park. Should you open the doors for a couple minutes before putting the kids in the car? Would it help any with getting some of the heat out of the car?

When we went to the park this morning I opened the doors, and back hatch. Put stroller in van while hoping some of the "hot air" would get out. I then try to strap the younger ones in and then let the older kids in. It takes a few minutes to strap a couple car seats properly so I try to get them in first. If not, the older kids are yelling "I'M HOT!" I'm thinking, REALLY!?

I've got a novel idea... leave the pets at home when you go shopping at Walmart.

I bought the coolest (pun intended) little window fans for my car. I picked them up at a yard sale. They operate on batteries, and just sit on the top of your car window which rolls up on them. The little fan runs significantly keeping your car cool. Supposed to work... I'll let you know when I figure out what I did with them.

Deaths of children/pets being left in the car due to heat in Florida was a major problem. Visitors always thought it was safe to leave the animal in the car for a few minutes, only to find their pet dead on their return. Most residents seeing an animal left in a car would break a window if need be to pull it out and the owner of the car faced sever fines or arrest when they returned. Children were the sad story. It was usually involving a parent who wasn't accustom to hauling the child around and had gone inside forgetting he/she had the child with him. Or in some cases a parent who was intoxicated due to drug or alcohol use.

Yesterday when I got in my car at lunch time, I couldn't touch the steering wheel because it was so hot... its hard to drive when you can't touch the steering wheel, very dangerous. ;-)

I heard it can be difficult JPW

Have you ever seen a car window blown out from extreme temps when it was parked for a long time with the windows rolled up. I have.

Nope, I have never seen that. Yikes, that's hot.

i had seen them fans advertised and thought we need 1 of them for sure . thanks for reminding me C .
i dont take the dogs on these hot days unless im just running over to gmas or a friends where they can go in w me .
i seen a car parked over by the hospital the other day w a great dane in it and windows up . his tongue was all the way out . the lady was on her way back out w keys in hand . i almost stopped to cuss her out for that

You should have and then when you were done slapped her !!