Heat turning cars into harmful ovens
Long hours in sun hits health of vehicle, occupants
The temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can reach as high as 50 to 60°C and with temperatures rising from now on, it is very important that this hot air be dispelled before one takes a ride anywhere.
Mahmood Khan, a member of several car clubs in the city advises that if your car is parked in direct sunlight don’t seat yourself in the car immediately.
“The hot air from the car hits like exhaust and the plastic and vinyl interiors emit a smell which is very strong. The best thing to do is to put down the window on the driver’s side and open and close that door two or three times so that the hot air is blown out.”
He also says it is very important “to start the air-conditioning for the bottom vents first and put the blower to the maximum so that the hot air is thrown out.”
The mistake that most people make is to start the upper air conditioning vents first as they want the cool air, but the hot air from below rises and leads to mixture of hot and cold air in the compact car which often causes severe headaches. There are sun shades available in the market which can be used on the windows so that sunlight does not enter.
Shanti Reddy, an automobile engineer, explained, “Sunlight is absorbed by surfaces like the dashboard and carpet of the car. Sunlight radiates energy and the impact heats up the surface due to absorption of this radiated energy. For this reason the temperature inside the car increases and there is also water vapour in the air which is absorbed in the car.”
As there is no exit point for hot air from the car, the temperature inside keeps on increasing. When the car door is opened, there is a burst of hot air, and it is important to wait outside for five minutes.
Mobile chargers, CDs and other plastic may also be affected by the heat and should be kept in the storage box provided in most cars. Dashboards can also develop cracks and hence must be covered with a fine cotton or linen cloth in summer.