Is the thing about hot cars being exceptionally deadly a myth?

submitted by trident765 from self.Physics

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[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Cars can get up to 160F here in the summer. They're like ovens, you can actually make dashboard cookies (https://www.survivopedia.com/how-to-use-your-car-for-cooking/). The moving air dramatically cools the temperature, and even opening the door lets out a lot of heat. They sometimes call it 4/55 AC, 4 windows open at 55mph.

[–]trident765[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The moving air dramatically cools the temperature,

Movement of air does not cool. Displacing the surrounding warm air does. But I have never felt that the air surrounding a hot car is especially warmer than the atmosphere.

and even opening the door lets out a lot of heat.

When someone leaves their kid/pet in a hot car, they have to open the door to get out. So it isn't any different.

[–]Dr_Bukkake 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

When someone leaves their kid/pet in a hot car, they have to open the door to get out. So it isn't any different.

When they shut the door and the car sits it heats back up. It’s like opening your oven door, it cools down because you let the a lot of the heat out but when you close the door it heats up again.