Why it is dangerous leaving your kids or pets in the car on a summer day in Alaska
What are your other options?
Facts about the inside of a car during warm weather
Final word
Why it is dangerous leaving your kids or pets in the car on a summer day in Alaska
Many of us already know exactly how dangerous it can be to leave your kids or your pets in your car on a hot summer day. However, most people do not know that it can also be dangerous to do this in more moderate temperatures too.
Often in Alaska, Summer temperatures do not rise much further over eighty degrees. In fact, reaching eighty is rare. However, you will often see temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. Now, those temperatures probably don’t seem like they could be dangerous if you sat in a parked car for a few minutes, but they actually can be.
The inside of a car during a 70 degree day can warm to just about 90 degrees in ten minutes. Keep in mind, children are much weaker and have less of a tolerance for heat than we do. Pets, such as dogs and cats, are essentially wearing fur coats. Dogs also can’t sweat, while cats can sweat they can only do so through their paws. The point is that 90 degree heat is much worse for children and pets.
All of this can easily lead to a heat stroke or worse. Sadly, some children and pets have died in parked cars due to the heat.
What are your other options?
When it comes to running errands with your kids or pets, you do have a few alternative options to leaving them in the car.
You could always have someone watch them for you. Yes, this might cost you a few bucks but that is a small price to pay in comparison to your beloved child or pet being injured from heat stroke.
The most obvious alternative is to bring your child inside with you wherever you are going. Unfortunately, that is usually not an option with a pet. However, you can always tie your dog up to a post outside.
Facts about the inside of a car during warm weather
- It can get really hot in your car, really quickly – Depending on if the car is in direct sunlight and how hot it is outside, temperatures in a car can rise by 20 degrees in just ten minutes.
- There are laws in some places against leaving your child or pet in the car – Right now almost twenty states have laws against leaving your child in the car. Unfortunately, Alaska is not one of them at the moment. However, there could be a law passed in the near future. Also, keep in mind, that if your kid or pet does get injured or die from being left in your car, you could be charged with negligence. So, that is just another reason to make sure that you do not leave your child in your car while you run into the store.
- It does not need to be extremely hot out for the inside of your car to get too hot – Believe it or not, children have died from heat related injuries due to being left in a car when the temperature outside was lower than 65 degrees. Do not take any chances.
- Cracking the windows does not help – When it is in the uppers 60’s, even if you crack your window, temperatures can rise by over 30 degrees in an hour.
- Colors make a slight difference – It might sound strange but cars with lighter exteriors reflect more sunlight thus they take more time to get hotter. Conversely, dark interiors help the inside of a car get hot faster because they do a poor job of reflecting sunlight. However, no matter what your car’s interior or exterior is, you should never leave you child or pet in a parked car unattended.
Final word
Leaving your child or pet in a parked car on a warm day is an all-around bad idea. You are risking serious injury or even death for them. You, yourself, are risking legal consequence when you do that. You are also even risking a broken car window by a good Samaritan looking to help your child or pet out. The point is just don’t leave your kids and/or pets in the car while you run into the store.
