PETA thanks CBL for hot-car warning

After hearing from PETA that dozens of children and animals die every year after being left inside sweltering vehicles, CBL & Associates Properties has posted warning signs reminding shoppers never to leave anyone behind in a hot car. In thanks, PETA has sent the Chattanooga-based real estate company a box of delicious vegan chocolates.

“Every year, dozens of dogs and children bake to death after being locked in parked cars and left behind,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is recognizing CBL & Associates Properties for taking action and potentially saving lives this summer with crucial warning signs reminding shoppers that high temperatures can be deadly.”

On a relatively mild 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to up to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. When children are left inside a hot vehicle, their body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult’s, and because dogs can cool themselves only by sweating through their paw pads and panting, they can suffer from heatstroke in mere minutes.

CBL joins several real estate companies including Simon Property Group, GGP, and Macerich that have posted warning signs about the dangers of hot cars.