He says, “We Service Officers find it very sad when we see a dog suffering inside a hot car. Often they will be cowering under the dashboard trying to find a patch of shade in the vehicle to escape the heat. It’s not nice to see an animal in this position.”
In 2021 so far, AA Roadservice has been to more than 440 emergency callouts for children locked in vehicles and more than 500 for pets. The callouts will often peak at 40-50+ a month during hot summers.
Skeeta says, “People may think they can reduce the risks by doing things like parking their car in the shade, having the windows slightly open or because their car is a lighter colour, they think it won’t get as hot compared to a black car. These attempts are ineffective and don’t make your car any safer on a hot day.”
On a 30°C day, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach 39°C in less than 5 minutes; in 30 minutes, it will be 49°C. This occurs even if the vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows down.
Skeeta says, “Just think back years ago when you hopped into a car with vinyl seats wearing shorts and how hot it got on the back of your legs, or touching the metal on your seatbelt. I recall back when cassette players were common in cars and on summer days, people would find their tapes melting on the parcel shelf. This heat is life threatening for any child or pet in a parked car.”
AA General Manager Roadside Solutions Bashir Khan says, “Often these incidents are accidents where a child has been given the keys and locked themselves in a car, or a dog has jumped up on the central locking system while the parent or owner is walking to the other driver door.
“However, it is still disappointing to see a number of calls to us from concerned members of public who have come across someone else’s dog or child in a shopping mall carpark or elsewhere.
