Every year, we see the unfortunate stories on the news of tragedies involving children or pets being left in vehicles on hot days like today. We spend a lot of time preaching safety here at the shop. We see the results of distraction and even carelessness far too often. Some of the the tragedies related to kids and pets left in cars are due to forgetfulness while others are a result of willful ignorance.

How Hot is Too Hot?

The following chart shows how fast temps can rise when the windows of a vehicle are closed.

In short, if you have to ask, it’s probably too hot. In fact, Most studies show that it is likely too hot even when windows are cracked just a bit. Think about it. It’s about 90 degrees here in Cecil County today. How long do you want to spend in a parked vehicle with two or even four windows cracked an inch or two?

Let’s remember all of our two-legged family members and four-legged friends this summer by making sure all of our loved ones make it out of the vehicle with us on all of our errands and adventures.