'Not even for a minute': Data warns of dangers for children or pets left in a hot car

Even on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a vehicle can reach 120 degrees within an hour.

Even on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a vehicle can reach 120 degrees within an hour.

HAVE AN IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR ANYONE WITH PETS OR YOUNG CHILDREN. BE SURE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT LEFT IN THE CAR. METEOROLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN JOINS US NOW WITH DATA SHOWING JUST HOW QUICKLY CARS CAN HEAT UP, EVEN DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR. YEAH, IN THE PAST 25 YEARS, 969 CHILDREN IN THE U.S. HAVE DIED FROM HEAT STROKE AFTER BEING LEFT IN A HOT CAR. 56 OF THOSE DEATHS WERE HERE IN CALIFORNIA. THAT’S THE THIRD HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY. NOW, WE ALL KNOW HOW HOT OUR CARS GET ON A 100 DEGREE DAY. BUT EVEN ON A PLEASANT DAY LIKE THIS, THERE’S A RISK. I SPOKE WITH A METEOROLOGIST WHO HAS STUDIED THIS ISSUE IN GREAT DETAIL. HIS NAME IS JAN NOLL, AND HE’S AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF METEOROLOGY AT SAN JOSE STATE. NULL’S INITIAL RESEARCH IN 2001 FOUND THAT WHETHER IT’S 72 DEGREES OR 96 DEGREES, THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE A CAR INCREASES AT THE SAME RATE AS IT ROSE ALMOST 20 DEGREES IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES AFTER. AFTER A HALF AN HOUR, IT WAS 34 DEGREES ABOVE WHATEVER THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS, AND IN AN HOUR IT WAS ABOUT 43 DEGREES ABOVE THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE. DO A LITTLE MATH FOR YOU. ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, WHERE THE AIR TEMPERATURE IS CLOSE TO 80 DEGREES AFTER JUST TEN MINUTES, THIS THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE A CAR COULD BE CLOSE TO 100 DEGREES. AFTER 30 MINUTES, THAT TEMPERATURE MAY BE UP TO 114 DEGREES, AND WITHIN AN HOUR, THE TEMPERATURE MAY BE AS HIGH AS 126 DEGREES. THAT’S ON AN 80 DEGREE DAY. SO ON A 100 DEGREE DAY CAN EASILY GET UP TO 140 DEGREES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. SO ACCORDING TO NULL’S RESEARCH, ABOUT HALF OF PEDIATRIC HOT CAR DEATHS ARE ACCIDENTAL, 25% OF DEATHS OCCUR WHEN A CHILD GAINS ACCESS TO A CAR ON THEIR OWN. ANOTHER 20% OF DEATHS RESULT FROM AN ADULT MAKING A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO LEAVE A CHILD IN A CAR, NOLL SAYS THAT ALL OF THESE DEATHS ARE PREVENTABLE, BUT THEY CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, SO HE ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A HABIT OF CHECKING THE BACK SEAT ALL YEAR ROUND, AND. REMINDERS, YOU KNOW, KEEP A STUFFED ANIMAL BACK IN THAT CHILD SEAT. AND WHEN YOU PUT THE CHILD THERE, PUT THAT UP IN THE FRONT SEAT AS A VISUAL REMINDER, OR PUT ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY GRAB FOR WHEN WE GET GET OUT OF THE CAR, YOU KNOW, OR WALLET, YOU KNOW, PURSE, BRIEFCASE OR CELL PHONE. AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME POLICY EFFORTS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PEDIATRIC HOT CAR DEATHS. THE 2021 BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW MANDATES THAT NEW CARS HAVE A SYSTEM THAT ALERTS DRIVERS TO CHECK THE BACK SEAT, NULL SAYS THAT EDUCATION IS ACTUALLY WHAT’S GOING TO HAVE THE BIGGEST AND FASTEST IMPACT. THERE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PEDIATRIC VEHICULAR HEATSTROKE, VISIT NO HEAT STROKE. ORG HAS SOME GOOD INFORMATION THERE. HEATHER. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE DO THIS. THE BIG QUESTION HERE DOES CRACKING THE WINDOWS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE FOR A CHILD OR A PET IN THE CAR? YEAH, IT IS PRETTY COMMONLY THOUGHT THAT THAT CAN HELP. BUT JAN’S DATA SHOWS THAT CRACKING THAT WINDOW ONLY LOWERS THE CAR, LOWERS THE CAR TEMPERATURE BY MAYBE 2 OR 3 DEGREES. SO YOU’RE GOING FROM 123 DEGREES DOWN TO 120. THAT CAN STILL BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR A YOUNG CHILD. SO THAT’S WHY NULL AND OTHER CHILD SAFETY ADVOCATES GO BY THE NOT EVEN A MINUTE RULE WHE

'Not even for a minute': Data warns of dangers for children or pets left in a hot car

Even on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a vehicle can reach 120 degrees within an hour.

An average of 37 children in the U.S. die of heat stroke each year after being left in a hot car. About half of those deaths happen when a child is accidentally left in a vehicle.Child safety advocates have been working to lower that statistic for decades. Jan Null is a meteorologist and adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University. In 2001, Null began looking into how fast the temperature can change inside a car parked on a warm, sunny day."The amount of temperature rise in the first ten minutes or thirty minutes or an hour was the same whether you started at 72 degrees or 96 degrees," said Null. In Northern California, a 100-degree day makes being inside a parked car very uncomfortable within seconds. The risk for potential heat stroke is clear. Null said milder days with temperatures in the 80s can have a much bigger risk for vehicle-related heat stroke simply because that danger isn't top of mind. According to study data from 2001, the internal temperature of a car can reach 100 degrees in just 10 minutes on a day when the air temperature is 80 degrees. After 30 minutes, the inside of the car could be 114 degrees. After an hour, the temperature can reach 134 degrees.Null said that's why caretakers should make checking the backseat a habit year-round."In the child safety community, it’s 'not for one minute' is sort of what the watchword is," said Null. Cracking a window is often thought to be an easy fix for keeping a car's temperature more comfortable. However, according to Null's work, that only lowers the interior temperature by two or three degrees."That's not big enough to affect survivability," said Null. Child safety advocates recommend that parents or guardians keep a physical reminder to check the backseat. For example, a stuffed animal that stays in the car seat when there is no child present, but then gets moved to the front passenger seat when there is a child in the car. Null also suggests leaving something like a wallet or phone in the backseat as those are usually the first things drivers grab when leaving a vehicle.There have been efforts to reduce child vehicle deaths through policy changes. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law mandates that new vehicles have an alert sensor to remind drivers to check the back seat. “Every life that is saved is wonderful and the goal is to be able to save lives," said Null, adding that education and talking about this issue this time of year can have a faster impact.

An average of 37 children in the U.S. die of heat stroke each year after being left in a hot car. About half of those deaths happen when a child is accidentally left in a vehicle.

Child safety advocates have been working to lower that statistic for decades.

Jan Null is a meteorologist and adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose State University. In 2001, Null began looking into how fast the temperature can change inside a car parked on a warm, sunny day.

"The amount of temperature rise in the first ten minutes or thirty minutes or an hour was the same whether you started at 72 degrees or 96 degrees," said Null.

In Northern California, a 100-degree day makes being inside a parked car very uncomfortable within seconds. The risk for potential heat stroke is clear.

Null said milder days with temperatures in the 80s can have a much bigger risk for vehicle-related heat stroke simply because that danger isn't top of mind.

According to study data from 2001, the internal temperature of a car can reach 100 degrees in just 10 minutes on a day when the air temperature is 80 degrees. After 30 minutes, the inside of the car could be 114 degrees. After an hour, the temperature can reach 134 degrees.

Null said that's why caretakers should make checking the backseat a habit year-round.

"In the child safety community, it’s 'not for one minute' is sort of what the watchword is," said Null.

Cracking a window is often thought to be an easy fix for keeping a car's temperature more comfortable. However, according to Null's work, that only lowers the interior temperature by two or three degrees.

"That's not big enough to affect survivability," said Null.

Child safety advocates recommend that parents or guardians keep a physical reminder to check the backseat. For example, a stuffed animal that stays in the car seat when there is no child present, but then gets moved to the front passenger seat when there is a child in the car. Null also suggests leaving something like a wallet or phone in the backseat as those are usually the first things drivers grab when leaving a vehicle.

There have been efforts to reduce child vehicle deaths through policy changes. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law mandates that new vehicles have an alert sensor to remind drivers to check the back seat.

“Every life that is saved is wonderful and the goal is to be able to save lives," said Null, adding that education and talking about this issue this time of year can have a faster impact.

'Not even for a minute': Data warns of dangers for children or pets left in a hot car

Even on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a vehicle can reach 120 degrees within an hour.

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