Daddy Clay, Dixie and I took the short trip up IH-35 the other day to visit the Texas State Fair. We hosted a King of Cargo packing contest at the Chevrolet Ride & Drive area and had a grand time hanging out with our buddies from Chevy. One of the more interesting displays was a Traverse, fitted with both an internal and external temperature gauge so that passers by could see the air temp inside and outside of the car. The results were surprising.
That morning had dawned bright and cool with a low temp of 53 degrees. When we arrived at 11:30 the outside air temp had risen to a nice and comfortable 72 degrees but the corresponding internal temperature was already 132 degrees! This was after just a few hours in the sun and nice and outside temp in the low 70’s. By the time we left at 2:00 the outside temperature was still a pleasant 78 but the internal temp was an oven like 154 degrees!
The folks manning the display from http://www.safekids.org/ provided some eye opening statistics. It seems that temperatures skyrocket over 30 degrees in the first few minutes after closing up a car, even on cool days. So it is never ok to leave children or pets alone in a closed car, not even to just run into the store for few minutes. I encourage you to go and check out the SafeKids USA website for all sorts of info on keeping our kids safe.
This was the opening topic of discussion on the latest Cast of Dads pod-cast but the conversation goes downhill from there. Take a listen.
State Fairs & Skype Burps
You bake Brad out in the sun for an afternoon and he gets more loopy then usual. That is just one more reason why we love him. Today’s Cast of Dads has the usual variety you’ve come to love. I mean where else are you going to be talking about car shopping, flip over to dealing with bullys and end with a deep discussion about our sex lives in America? You got that right! No where else but here! Enjoy.
Topics discussed on this episode:
- Dad Labs goes to the Texas State Fair
- Chicken Fried Bacon
- SafeKids.org’s Demo Car
- Michael’s car shopping war stories
- Negotiating a car via e-mail?
- Saturn no hassle
- BMW Showrooms
- You can now buy cars at Costco
- That new car smell
- The Diaper Conspiracy
- Bullying
- Brad’s CSI
- The power of buddies
- Girls can be evil
- Never start a fight, but don’t ever lose one.
- Taping children to the wall
- Putting kids on leashes
- Brad is a killer harmonica player
- More Cowbell
- Updated sex study released
- Shooting pool with a rope
- Harold + Maude
- Cougars
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Cast of Dads is a group of podcasting and blogging dads who gather to gab about fatherhood. The cast of dads includes C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, who collectively represent 13 kids from the youngest of babies to full grown adults. Each of them brings a unique perspective to being a father.
That’s an amazing statistic. I didn’t realize the temp would rise so fast. Hearing about kids being left in oven like cars really bothers me. I just don’t understand how people can do this. I don’t leave my kids in the car without me for even a second, I’m too afraid someone could come along and take them. Forget about the temperature. Great post.
Yes it crazy how fast it heats up. They say the most fatalities happen when the parent who does not regularly do drop off takes the kids to day care etc. Kids fall asleep in the back, parent gets into routine of going to work, takes a cell phone call and forgets about the child sleeping in the back..absolutely tragic. We had 2 in Austin this summer. Education is key to this one.
Leavin’ kids in the car is one of those things that drives me bat chit crazy! I just don’t get it. Ever. With stories like the ones you mentioned on the news EVERY year, and the info so easily and readily available (and shouted with those stories, EVERY year)… it makes absolutely no sense to me whatsover.
Just last week in Louisville, a car was stolen from the gas station when the babysitter went inside… and left a 6 month old in the car… Thankfully, the thief realized the kid was in the car (after 20 minutes of joy riding) and parked it and notified authorities. He was later arrested… and the next day, guess what? So was the babysitter! For wanton endangerment. There is just no excuse for it.
I understand the temptation, I really do… but ya just can’t do it. No, you can’t. It’s never ok.