Even in the shade, cars can be lethal

Each year, emergency crews across the country try to save the lives of children inside hot cars. The situation can be dangerous, and even fatal.

In 2017, 43 children nationwide died of heatstroke in vehicles, according to Kids and Cars. Since 1990, 38 children in Arizona have died of heatstroke in vehicles. The safety organization works to create awareness for how dangerous vehicles can be for children.

Researchers at Arizona State University and the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine conducted a study on how different types of cars warm up on a hot day.

The study also looked at how a 2-yearold can be affected if left inside a hot car.

Researchers focused on two questions: “What is the thermal environment and potential danger to a child left unattended in a shaded versus sun-exposed vehicle during summer, and at what timescale might dangers begin to arise in

each exposure condition?”

Six vehicles were used in the study: two identical silver midsize sedans, two identical silver economy cars and two identical silver minivans. Nancy Selover, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning professor, told The Arizona Republic that the similar colors were used to prevent confusion in the

study.

During a part of the study, vehicles were moved in an out of the shade at different times of the day to replicate what might happen during a shopping trip.

The team documented how hot surfaces could get once the sunlight went through the windows.

“It can be hot enough to burn the skin of your child,” Selover said.

Selover said surfaces can retain their heat even when you turn the air-conditioning on after returning to the car. Many people naturally point the vents toward themselves to keep cool.

In one hour, vehicles parked in the sun had an average dashboard temperature of 157 degrees, steering-wheel temperature of 127 degrees and seat temperature of 123 degrees.

Average temperatures for vehicles parked in the shade were above 100 degrees as well. After one hour, the average dashboard temperature was 118 degrees, steering-wheel temperature was 107 degrees and seat temperature was 105 degrees.

“Even parking a vehicle in the shade can be lethal to a small child,” Selover told ASU.

The team noticed the type of vehicle did have an effect on how quickly temperatures rose. The economy car warmed faster than the midsize sedan and minivan, according to the study.

Scientists can’t predict when a child will have a heatstroke, according to ASU.

The condition occurs when a person’s body temperature rises to 104 degrees or higher. The Mayo Clinic said that can lead to complications or death.

“We hope these findings can be leveraged for the awareness and prevention of pediatric vehicular heatstroke and the creation and adoption of in-vehicle technology to alert parents of forgotten children,” UC San Diego professor and study author Jennifer Vanos told ASU.

She said internal injuries can occur before temperatures reach 104 degrees.

Researchers determined that a child inside a car in the study’s conditions could reach its core body temperature in about an hour if the car was parked in the sun and in less than two hours if the car was in the shade.

Even if you park a car in the shade, the temperature can become dangerously high, said Selover.

Selover said a person can have trouble keeping cool because they are exhaling humidity into the air. Humidity prevents a person from cooling down due to sweat not evaporating as quickly.

ASU psychology professor Gene Grewer said forgetting a child in a car can happen to any parent. He was not a part of the study.

“Often these stories involve a distracted parent,” he told ASU. “Memory failures are remarkably powerful, and they happen to everyone. There is no difference between gender, class, personality, race or other traits. Functionally, there isn’t much of a difference between forgetting your keys and forgetting your child in the car.”