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Revealed: How many kids and pets still get left in hot cars in SA

Road service data has revealed a worrying rise in the number of children and animals needing to be rescued from locked cars in South Australia.

Road service data has revealed a worrying rise in the number of children and animals needing to be rescued from locked cars in South Australia.

RAA callout data shows a total of 663 kids and pets needed to be freed from locked vehicles by patrols in 2023 – a 29 per cent increase on 2022.

Of the 663 callouts, 308 were children and 355 were pets, equating to almost two loved ones being rescued each day in South Australia.

RAA senior traffic engineer Matt Vertudaches said cars can quickly heat up to more than double the outside temperature.

“You shouldn’t be tempted under any circumstances to leave children or animals unattended in a parked vehicle, but especially not in warm weather like we’re experiencing now,” Mr Vertudaches said.

“In a lot of these instances it’s simply because someone has accidentally locked their keys in their car, which can be easy to do now that many modern cars have keyless entry and ignition.

“When the weather is warm the temperature inside a locked car will climb to dangerous levels within minutes, and the consequences of leaving a loved one in there could be catastrophic.”

The data also shows the most common locations for lock-outs last year were larger suburbs including Mt Barker, Mt Gambier and Port Lincoln, followed by Morphett Vale and Murray Bridge.

Amber Dalton had to her French bulldog Honey rescued by the RAA after Honey accidentally locked herself in the car. Picture: Keryn Stevens
Amber Dalton had to her French bulldog Honey rescued by the RAA after Honey accidentally locked herself in the car. Picture: Keryn Stevens

St Clair pet owner Amber Dalton revealed she had a close call recently when her French bulldog Honey accidentally locked herself in her car.

“I was putting Honey in her harness before we left, and I just shut the door while I went and get my son to put in the car as well,” Ms Dalton said.

“I was gone for literally one minute but Honey must have stepped on the lock button of the door and locked herself inside. Then I realised I’d accidentally left my keys in there as well.

“I called RAA and they sent two patrols out that had arrived within 10 minutes.

“Thankfully it wasn’t a really hot day so Honey was fine, but it was scary how easy it was to do. Now I always check I have my keys on me before shutting the door.”

In-car cabin temperatures can rise to more than 80 degrees within 20 minutes when left in the sun, according to a recent experiment by RAA.

The experiment also showed that white cars – often considered to attract less heat than darker vehicles – still rose to more than 70 degrees in the same period.

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/revealed-how-many-kids-and-pets-still-get-left-in-hot-cars-in-sa/news-story/71a0751f9bf6ef0da394642ede851bbd