It’s that time of the year again when Colorado starts to heat up in a big way and while I’ve covered this topic numerous times before, I’m doing it again. If this coverage ends up saving the life of a pet, child, or boyfriend who’s been abandoned in the vehicle during a shopping trip at the Castle Creek outlets, it’s worth it. Please share this piece with your pet-owning friends to help spread awareness of how dangerous a hot car can be and to help dispel that myth that simply ‘cracking your windows’ is enough.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently made a post about how hot the inside of vehicle can get in a matter of minutes – and believe it or not, even an outside temperature of just 70 degrees Fahrenheit can result in deadly conditions.

Per that post, “even ‘just a minute’ can be fatal.” When it’s 70 degrees outside, a vehicle can reach around 89 degrees in 10 minutes and 104 degrees in just 30. Meanwhile, a 75-degree day means just 30 minutes before 109 degrees is reached inside of the vehicle and it only gets worse from there. On a 95-degree day, for example, the interior of a vehicle can reach 114 degrees in just 10 minutes and 129 degrees in 30.

In other words, don’t leave living beings in a parked vehicle. Even when it’s just 60 degrees outside, a vehicle’s temperature can climb to 110 degrees – after reaching 80 degrees in just 10 minutes.

It’s also important not to fall for the ‘just crack a window’ trick – it doesn’t make much of a difference and has been described as “pointless.” One report where a new team put this myth to the test showed that on a 95-degree day, the interior of the vehicle reached 112 degrees in 10 minutes with the windows closed. With the windows cracked, the vehicle reached a higher 113 degrees in the same amount of time. After 30 minutes, the interior of the vehicle with the windows closed was 126 degrees, while the interior of the vehicle with the windows cracked was 124 degrees – not much of a difference and still a deadly temperature.

Most sources seem to indicate that it only takes about 10 minutes for a vehicle to reach a temperature that’s high enough to kill on a warm day, with children and pets being particularly at risk. As the temperature of a vehicle climbs, so does body temperature, which can result in heat stroke and ultimately death. Heat stroke starts to occur when the body’s temperature reaches about 104 degrees. Dogs and children tend to overheat faster than human adults as they’re less able to regulate their body temperature.

The solution is plain and simple – don’t leave living beings in a parked car. Doing so can quickly turn deadly, even during what would otherwise be described as a pleasant day.

It’s also worth noting that a person can forcibly enter a locked vehicle to rescue an at-risk person or animal in Colorado, but only when certain criteria are met. These requirements are laid out in HB17-1179. You can find more information on what it takes to gain immunity from civil and criminal liability in this situation here.

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