Insider Blog: Car safety in the peak of summertime

It's the time of year when everything outdoors is hot and sometimes dangerous. Pavement can burn bare skin during the day, and cars are notorious for baking in the summer heat. While we've already seen several months of hot temperatures it's important to stay vigilant while heading out for summer plans.

Cars can be dangerous well before outdoor temperatures feel hot. Even in late spring when highs are typically in the 70s and 80s cars can heat up to triple digits in less than an hour. This happens even faster in hotter conditions; on a 90-degree day, the inside of a car can reach triple digits in just 5 minutes!

Cracked windows are no help and can still allow a car to hit triple digits in under a quarter-hour on a 90-degree day. Mid-Missouri experiences these temperatures for a good stretch of the year with seasonal highs above 80 degrees from late May through September.