Keeping Your 'Car Cool' During the Dog Days of Summer

WAYNE, N.J., July 27, 2016 -- Summer is off to a hot start, and there's a long, hot road ahead for drivers. The extreme heat is intensified inside your car as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that temperatures of 80 to 100 degrees can cause the temperature inside a parked car to reach a stifling 130 to 172 degrees. The latest Hankook Tire Gauge Index found that these dangerously hot temperatures are responsible for more than a few heat-related mishaps in the car, and therefore impact the way Americans use their vehicles in the summer.

Doggy Diligence

Leaving animals in the car is dangerous any time of year, but especially in the summer. When leaving your car in the sun, your vehicle essentially becomes a greenhouse, rapidly warming at extreme temperatures. If you wouldn't want to sit in the heat of a parked car, imagine how uncomfortable it can be to your furry friends. The vast majority of Americans recognize this risk as 87% of drivers said that you should never leave a dog in the car, and 97% of drivers noted that if you do, it should never be for longer than 10 minutes. In addition, leaving the windows open or your car parked in the shade does not excuse the situation, according to 81% of respondents.

Melted Messiness

Leaving food in the car can be risky, especially in the summer. Whether it spoils, melts or explodes, more than three-quarters (78%) of Americans have reported that they have experienced a car-related heat mishap. Of the respondents, 52% of drivers have returned to their cars to find a mess of melted chocolate or candy. Protect the interior of your car and keep it showroom ready by eating or disposing of perishable food this summer!

Coolness Tops Convenience

Depending on the season, drivers have some interesting parking priorities. Hankook asked drivers whether it's more important to park in the shade or park close to where they are going. The Gauge found that 63% of drivers would rather seek coolness than convenience. That preference rises to 72% for drivers in the sunny climates of the western U.S.

Heat can take its toll on tires, so try to park in the shade as often as possible. Extreme heat causes the air in your tires to expand, resulting in an increase in tire pressure. Be sure to check your tire pressure frequently, especially during heat waves, as maintaining the correct air pressure for your vehicle's tires improves driving performance and fuel economy.

The Hankook Tire Gauge Index is a quarterly survey of Americans that uncovers their attitudes and opinions about all things related to driving. The summer installment of the survey, conducted June 24-25, 2016, polled 1,009 randomly selected Americans.

About Hankook Tire America Corp.

Hankook Tire America Corp. is a growing leader in the U.S. tire market, leveraging investments in technology, manufacturing and marketing to deliver high quality, reliable products that are better for consumers and the environment.  Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire America Corp. markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires in the United States.