Getting rid of the heat inside a vehicle, on journeys that can last for hours… is essential. Driving in extreme temperatures is very dangerous.
The optimum temperature for our body ranges between 18 °C and 24 °C. Anything above that means we have to release heat somehow: through sweat, breathing, or an increased heart rate. This carries risks, in the form of muscle spasms, exhaustion… right up to heatstroke, as feared as it is lethal. Even despite the humidity.
The heatwave that hit Europe in 2003, for example, resulted in no fewer than 70,000 deaths (most of them in France). And in the United States, during the summer of 1988, the number of victims rose to 10,000. In June 2019, on our peninsula and the Balearic Islands alone, we suffered the tenth heatwave to occur in this month since 1975.
Disorientation, confusion and palpitations are symptoms which, resulting from extreme exposure to heat, can cost us our lives. For this reason, undertaking a car journey – or one in any other type of vehicle – in high temperatures means that you need to take precautions to avoid unnecessary fatigue, aggressiveness, tension and nervousness. Take note!
- You need to air the vehicle, lowering the windows and even opening and closing the driver’s and front passenger’s doors.
- Air conditioning is much needed, but before turning it up full, a tip: you should first let out the hot air it blows when you switch it on.
- There is no need to turn the vehicle into an igloo: the perfect climate setting is between 22 °C and 24 °C.
- If you can schedule your journey for times when the heat is less intense, so much the better. Avoid travelling at midday!
- Clothing helps, as does footwear (as long as they are suitable, as we explained in another article on driving in the right clothes).
- Everyone on the trip, keep hydrated! Non-alcoholic drinks, fresh fruit, and light foods rich in protein and vitamins are all welcome.
- Breaks every two hours, to avoid extreme fatigue in severe temperatures, are sacred. Both for drivers and for the other passengers and the vehicle itself.
- When we stop the vehicle, let us look for shady areas to recover. And under no circumstances should we leave elderly people, children or pets inside the vehicle. It can be very dangerous!