Police officer uses viral video to highlight plight of children in hot cars

If you’ve ever been tempted to leave kids in the car on a hot day, this video might make you think twice.

The Thibodaux Police Department’s officer David Melancon locked himself in his patrol car for just ten minutes to demonstrate how uncomfortable and possibly dangerous it is for children as well as pets to be locked in any vehicle during hot weather.

Chief of Police Scott Silverii introduces the video explaining the stunt was highly supervised.

Thibodaux is in the southern US state of Louisiana and given the geography has extremely hot summers, however the video has gone global since it was posted on Wednesday.

You can clearly see how irritated Melancon is after just three short minutes and as the nine minute mark rolls round officer David desperately wants out of the car after temperatures hit around 37°C inside.

To put that into prospective the highest temperature recorded in Ireland this year was 27.1°C on June 17, which would could give you a temperature rise of around 20°C instead a locked car.

Leaving the vehicle he reflects on his experience with some powerful words, “I don’t have kids yet, but when I do, I will be sure not to leave them in a car.”

Medical experts estimate a child's body temperature can rise up to five times faster than an adult’s.

Pets too are often left behind in cars and this video from vet Dr Ernie Ward shows you what an animal faces inside a scorching car even with the windows left slightly ajar.

These clips are certainly eye-openers!