Heat stroke happens within minutes
Like most people, we complain about the cold and we complain about the heat. It seems like we’re never happy. As far as I’m concerned, I’d prefer the heat over the cold. But when is the temperature too hot to handle? I can answer my own question – when you leave your child or pet in a locked vehicle with a window cracked for even a few minutes. I know, because I just experienced it.
I decided to find out exactly what it would be like if I sat in a vehicle on a hot day. When I began, the interior temperature was comfortable. This was after the AC was on to keep the interior cool while driving. Approximately 1 minute after turning the engine off, the interior temperature was checked and read 25.4 degrees Celsius, which is approximately 78 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s pretty warm for any summer day, but still comfortable. I then waited for 5 minutes and checked the temperature once again. It read 31.7 degrees Celsius, which is 89 degrees Fahrenheit. 
That’s such a quick increase in such a short period of time. I knew the temperature would increase, but was a little surprised it moved up that quickly.
Can you imagine how your child or pet feels now after just being in that parked vehicle for only 5 minutes? I felt the stuffy, hot temperature immediately and began sweating… a lot. Some may think how the sweat may help cool down my body. It did, but not enough for my liking. The windows were cracked open to let a breeze into the vehicle. Wait, what breeze? There was nothing resembling a breeze coming through that crack, yet parents of children and owners of pets say and do the same thing. I wasn’t done yet.
After another 5 minutes, to a total of 10 minutes from the start of my experiment, the interior temperature read 42.1 degrees Celsius, 
which is approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, you read that correctly. After 10 minutes, it was so hot in the vehicle I was beginning to have a difficult time breathing. There wasn’t enough cool air to breathe comfortably. But yet again, people leave their kids and pets in these conditions. The standard line to the kids is “I’ll only be a minute” in turn is really much longer than what they promised. This can now seriously affect your child and pet.
A child’s body temperature will rise up 5 times faster than that of an adult’s body temperature. As the vehicle interior gets hotter, their tiny bodies aren’t as capable in cooling it down compared to that of an adult’s body. For this reason, they are very susceptible to heat stroke. Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia in which the body temperature increases very quickly and can often be combined with dehydration.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency which can be fatal if not treated immediately. Severe hyperthermia is defined when someone’s body temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 Fahrenheit. After 10 minutes, the interior of my vehicle went to 42.1 Celsius. 
Can you imagine being in that vehicle for 20 minutes or more? Heat stroke can trigger neurological dysfunction, nausea, disorientation and possibly seizures. The heart rate will tend to climb as the body works overtime to try to cool off. That’s when hyperthermia sets in. The body gives up on dispersing the heat and can no longer maintain a normal temperature in the body.
It was hot inside my vehicle, but I wasn’t done yet. I waited for another five minutes for a total of 15 minutes from the start on my experiment. The interior temperature reached a high of 50 degrees Celsius, which is 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature increased by almost 25 degrees Celsius and 44 degrees Fahrenheit in only 15 minutes. Does it surprise you when you read or hear how children or family pets have died when they have been left in the vehicle for just a short period of time? It shouldn’t surprise you now.
**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as this is discussed further!**
If there was any doubt about the severity with leaving anything or “anyone” in your vehicle during hot weather, this quick experiment demonstrates why it should NEVER happen. Thanks for sharing Scott.
Two weeks ago, I was leaving a local restaurant and saw 2 small dogs in a car. The windows were down about half an inch and the dogs were panting excessively. According to my vehicle gauge, it was 29 degrees C.
I went back inside and spoke to a server and she replied that they didn’t have an intercom or anything like that so she said there was nothing they could do. I suspect the owner must have heard me as she walked out about 30 seconds after me.
I approached her and asked if she knew how dangerous it was to leave her dogs in the car on a hot day. She immediately became defensive and told me I was exaggerating the temperature and told me to mind my own business. I told her that as an animal lover, 2 dogs locked in a hot car was my business.
She became quite aggressive with me and through it all, I remained very polite and said I simply couldn’t stand by and watch the dogs suffering, trying to cope with the rising temperature in the car.
As she was becoming more and more aggressive, I got in my car and drove across the road. I fully expected her to also get in her car and leave after our exchange but, she didn’t. She went back inside.
At that point, I called the police. I watched the officer arrive and look in the vehicle. He then went inside the restaurant and came back outside with the woman. I have no idea what was said or done as I left the area shortly after the officer arrived. I just hope that woman learned her lesson and never does that again! Too bad I didn’t have a copy of your experiment to hand her but I plan to print it out in case the opportunity ever arises. I HOPE it doesn’t but people just don’t seem to get it…
Such an amazing story and very glad you took it upon yourself to make the call to do something to help those dogs. If not, I’m sure it would happen once again. Thank you. – Scott