Current affairs overtook a developing Lions Club initiative to remind people not to leave children and pets in hot cars when a three-year-old lost her life in those circumstances in Townsville last Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tenterfield Lions president Lisa Dalton and her team are placing notices at high-traffic areas like Henry Parkes Plaza to remind shoppers of the dangers of leaving loved ones in cars, where temperatures can soar in a very short period of time.
Ms Dalton said she was alerted to the national Lions Crime Watch initiative several weeks ago. News of the tragic death and heatwave conditions this week made the roll-out very timely.
READ ALSO:
The NRMA advises that:
- 75% of the temperature increase occurs within five minutes of closing the car
- Darker-coloured cars can reach slightly higher temperatures than lighter-coloured cars
- Large cars can heat up just as fast as small cars
- The colour of interior trim has little effect on the speed that the temperature can increase inside a car
- Having the windows down 5cm causes only a slight decrease in temperature with an outside temperature of around 30°C
Temperatures in Tenterfield this week have been well above that, climbing to 37 degrees on Wednesday before predicted thunderstorms bring some relief on Thursday. Still, maximum temperatures in the 30's are predicted up to Monday.
