70-Degree Weather Too Hot To Leave Kids In Cars: Tinley Park PD

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park police are joining thousands of law enforcement agencies around the country in warning residents to not leave children (and pets, for that matter) in cars. Many tragedies can be avoided by heeding their advice.

"Even in 70 degree weather, vehicles can reach life-threatening temperatures in just minutes, and leaving a window open doesn't help," police said in a Facebook post.

Kids and Cars reports that 37 kids die on average annually in the U.S. from being left in hot cars.

"Hot car deaths are a serious danger that can happen to anyone," said Tinley Park Police Chief Charles Faricelli. A lack of sleep or a change in routine can make even the best, most loving parents unknowingly leave their child alone in a parked car.”

Consumer Reports said last fall that its tests show temperatures inside cars can reach dangerous levels of children and pets within an hour. One test showed that when the temperature outside was 61 degrees, the temperature inside reached more than 105 degrees within an hour.

See more: Hot-Car Deaths: How Many Kids Have Died In Illinois

But on warm summer days, the interior of cars can become deadly in as little as 10 minutes, Jan Null, an adjunct professor and research meteorologist at San Jose State University, told Patch in an email. It's never OK to leave a child unattended in a car, he said.

Hot cars are especially dangerous for children and, especially, babies, who dehydrate more quickly than adults and can't regulate their body temperature. Their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults', according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Article image via Shutterstock