The AA have issued a warning to Kiwis not to leave pets or children in hot cars this summer, especially with the El Niño weather pattern bringing a hotter and drier summer to New Zealand.
The warning comes following an incident over the weekend which saw two young Queensland boys die in a locked car from suspected heat-related stress.
From January to October this year, AA Roadservice responded to 800 emergency callouts for children or pets locked in vehicles, more than 200 in Auckland alone. In previous years, the callouts have peaked at around 40-50 a month during hot summers.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, AA's technical advisor Allister Wade said temperatures inside a vehicle can double within a few minutes.
AA's technical advisor Allister Wade says temperatures inside a vehicle can double within minutes during summer. (Source: Breakfast)
"Everyone's just so busy these days you completely forget, you think you can just pop down to the shop for a quick moment, run into the supermarket and grab a few items, but you might get sidetracked and run into someone for a chat.
"Again, it only takes moments for that temperature in the car to really just accelerate to a point where heat exhaustion starts."
Asked if he thinks Kiwis understand how serious this can be, he said "yes", but added Kiwis can be quite "naïve".
"People think it's fine because it's only going to be a few moments, but it only takes a few moments to kill somebody."
Wade said if anyone notices a child or pet locked in a car, they should call the AA straight away. He said you don't have to be a member to make the call, and the AA will prioritise those callouts.
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