Research Suggests Parked Cars Can Get Fatally Hot In Just One Hour
- 6 years ago
There have been a number of tragic deaths involving children being left in hot cars, and a team of researchers recently investigated how long it takes for a variety of vehicles to reach potentially deadly temperatures.
There have been a number of tragic deaths involving children being left in hot cars, and a team of researchers from Arizona State University and the University of California San Diego recently investigated how long it takes for a variety of vehicles to reach potentially deadly temperatures.
Identical pairs of silver vehicles in three size classes—compact, sedan, and minivan—were parked in sun and shade for varying durations over three days in Tempe, Arizona when temperatures were 95 degrees Fahrenheit and above. According to a release from the Taylor & Francis Group, "For vehicles parked in the sun…the average cabin temperature hit [nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit] in one hour. Dash boards averaged [156 degrees]…and seats [more than 123 degrees] in one hour." The interior temperatures of the cars in the shade didn't reach the same heights over the same duration, but were still significant, ranging from 100 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The researchers calculated what effect that level of heat can have on a 2-year-old child and determined that, under similar conditions, a child could reach heat-stroke-level temperatures in as little as an hour. The team suggests the development of technology that will alert parents about children forgotten in vehicles.
There have been a number of tragic deaths involving children being left in hot cars, and a team of researchers from Arizona State University and the University of California San Diego recently investigated how long it takes for a variety of vehicles to reach potentially deadly temperatures.
Identical pairs of silver vehicles in three size classes—compact, sedan, and minivan—were parked in sun and shade for varying durations over three days in Tempe, Arizona when temperatures were 95 degrees Fahrenheit and above. According to a release from the Taylor & Francis Group, "For vehicles parked in the sun…the average cabin temperature hit [nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit] in one hour. Dash boards averaged [156 degrees]…and seats [more than 123 degrees] in one hour." The interior temperatures of the cars in the shade didn't reach the same heights over the same duration, but were still significant, ranging from 100 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The researchers calculated what effect that level of heat can have on a 2-year-old child and determined that, under similar conditions, a child could reach heat-stroke-level temperatures in as little as an hour. The team suggests the development of technology that will alert parents about children forgotten in vehicles.