As the heat of summer drags on, there are a couple of reminders of things not to do in your vehicle.court

Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf advises to never leave your children inside a hot vehicle, even if you are going to be a couple of minutes to run an errand.

“When you think that maybe it would be easier to just let the car run, but that is not a good solution. Take the kids with you (and) don’t leave them in the car because kids, especially babies, infants and little kids, they don’t tolerate heat as well (as adults). And they could succumb to a heat-related death very easily.”  

Dr. Amy Klauer is a veterinarian with Fairview Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson and she says the same is true with leaving dogs inside hot vehicles. Dr. Klauer notes that vehicles are now made to automatically shut off after 20 minutes if left in park, along with several other potential problems.

“If an errand takes you longer than you think and you’re risking leaving your animal in there and that vehicle potentially shutting off, or running out of gas, or the dog stepping on a button, or taking it out of gear and potentially turning it off you risk killing them and it’s frankly not worth it. They are much safer at home than being in a vehicle unsupervised.”      

According to the National Weather Service, if the outdoor temperature reaches 90 degrees, the temperature inside a vehicle can escalate to 109 degrees after ten minutes and then 124 degrees after 30 minutes.