Drivers are just realizing they can keep parked cars 40°F cooler in the sun – and a steering wheel trick to stop burns
MOTORISTS are always looking for tips on how to stay cool in their vehicle in hot weather.
There’s nothing worse than feeling your arms and legs burning on a hot leather seat and seat belt and then having to put your hands on a scorching hot steering wheel.
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Worse still is finally letting your vehicle cool down on the air conditioning and then shutting it down for a quick workshop, only to return to the red-hot furnace.
Shared by NBC News on YouTube, these car hacks show how drivers can reduce interior temperatures by up to 40 degrees.
It also includes a clever steering wheel trick that will ensure you never have to burn your hands again.
The first tip we all automatically follow is to break a window.
According to NBC, a study in the medical journal Pediatrics found that opening windows two inches lowers indoor temperatures by 30 degrees on a 98-degree day.
The study looked at how to prevent children from dying of heatstroke when left unattended in motor vehicles.
The second tip is a simple preventive method to keep the sun’s rays off your vehicle.
The use of a sunshade reduces the interior temperature by an average of 15 degrees and the surface of the dashboard by up to 40 degrees, according to the news agency.
Such sunglasses are already available on Amazon for 13 US dollars.
Next is an ingenious steering wheel hack that will prevent you from burning your hands in the car if you don’t have a windshield sunshade.
If you turn the steering wheel 180 degrees when parking so that the top part is down, the areas you’re most likely to hold on to aren’t exposed to the sun and are a lot cooler.
The fourth and final trick is to bring a beach blanket to cover your seat and controls when you’re not in the vehicle.
Viewers of the YouTube video were grateful for the hacks, while others shared their own tips.
One viewer said they “put a plastic car window awning on the top of all the car windows so the windows lowered an inch or two would not be as noticeable from the outside and would help protect against the rain!”
Others repeatedly said that cooling your car is an issue to consider when making a purchase.
While some people believe that choosing color is the most fun part of car shopping, there is one color that you should ignore if you live in a hot place.
“Just never buy a black car,” said one viewer.
Another added: “Buy a white vehicle! A white cover on the outside of the windows reflects the heat before it gets inside the car.”
They added another tip for long car rides: “Turn a wet towel around and drape it over your head and shoulders when it’s chilly.”
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