Parents and dog owners are being warned to be on their guard
against locking their children or pets inside the car on the
first hot weekend of the summer.
Last summer, the AA attended around 500 call-outs where either a
pet or child had been locked in the car, an average of 4 a day*.
Also, the fear is that with many people in lockdown buying a dog
for company, there will be many new owners that don’t appreciate
the threat from the sun and heat. Previously, the AA melted a 7kg
solid chocolate dog in a matter of hours**, but the danger for a
real dog can become critical within less than half an hour.
The AA recommends using window blinds to help shield children and
passengers from direct sun; and the use of sunglasses to reduce
glare.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Children
and pets are particularly vulnerable as they are less able to
cope with high temperatures and heat-related illnesses such as
dehydration. As people head out to explore and enjoy their summer
we’re reminding drivers to take care not to accidentally – or
deliberately even for a moment - leave people or pets alone in
the car.
“The shade doesn’t offer any protection either as the
temperatures reached can be unbearable.
“If your car breaks down your air conditioning won’t work either,
so take an umbrella for some portable shade and make sure you
have plenty of drinking water with you – at least a litre per
person and extra for pets.”
ends
* AA Breakdown data for jobs recorded as “PET LOCKED IN CAR” or
“CHILD LOCKED IN CAR” between 1 June 2020 and 30 September 2020
was recorded as 493.
