Each summer news organizations receive reports from health officials or hear first-hand from police or the public about children and pets locked inside vehicles that are parked outside in the blazing sun.
With temperatures typically reaching between 20 to 40 degrees celsius in most regions of British Columbia at one point or another during the summer, the dangers of dehydration, heat stroke or even death play out year after year.
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That’s why two members of Black Press decided to provide proof to the public about this alarming trend and illustrate how after only a matter of minutes, the inside of a vehicle can become stifling hot with the doors closed and windows rolled up.
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WARNING: Please do not try this at home.
Temperatures inside of a closed vehicle can almost double that of the outside, and for those that can’t escape, the consequences can quickly turn to desperation.
We found this out the hard way after deciding to record ourselves for one hour inside a closed vehicle — a black SUV. Within minutes we were both sweating profusely while wearing business-casual attire complete with long pants, socks and dress shoes.
By the mid-way point it become more difficult to form constructive thoughts or articulate sentences as we both began routinely checking our vitals. Having soaked through our clothes, our fingers began pruning up as if we’d been swimming for hours and our mouths felt as dry as cotton balls.
Approaching the 40-minute mark our thought process began to dull and bouts of depression cropped up in our minds, as we contemplated with dismay being put into this same situation against our choosing.
With our shirts already stuck to our bodies it became a practice in futility to wipe away the sweat — our arms contained just as much perspiration as our faces. It was the questions and comments from those watching our Facebook Live video that allowed us to continue our conversation into this dangerous practice.
We hope others will share the message that even a quick trip to the grocery store can have dire consequences for many people including young children, the elderly or your favourite pet.
