How to sleep safely in a car?

(HNMO) - The unfortunate incident that occurred today (June 2) in An Lao district (Hai Phong), when 3 people showed signs of suffocation in a car, of which 1 person died, once again sounded the alarm about the habit of sleeping in cars incorrectly.

In theory, sleeping in a car is safe.

For any car user, napping in the car is not unusual, but there are important precautions to take to avoid this habit that can be life-threatening.

Is it safe to sleep in a car?

Basically, sleeping in a car is safe. The original car design is not completely airtight, allowing oxygen to freely circulate through the cabin, making it easy for people inside to breathe even when all the doors are closed. According to a study by the US National Center for Biological Information, the air in a car will be "refreshed" every 1-3 hours, even when the engine is off and the windows are completely closed. Documents show that there must be at least 8-9 people in a 5-7 seat car for oxygen deficiency to begin to occur.

Avoid the “invisible killer”

However, lack of oxygen is not the danger when sleeping in a closed car, but CO (carbon monoxide) in the exhaust is the real killer, causing many unfortunate deaths. No matter what type of car you have, the risk of CO poisoning is always present, especially when you sleep in the car.

The scary thing is that CO is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, so people cannot realize that they have inhaled this toxic gas until it is too late. When the amount of CO in the blood exceeds the safe level, people who inhale this gas may experience dizziness or temporary difficulty breathing. Once infected at high levels, death is inevitable.

Sleeping in a car parked in a closed room should be minimized.

You should turn off the air conditioner when sleeping.

Turning off the air conditioning in the car while sleeping will help avoid the risk of exhaust gas leaking from the exhaust pipe. This happens quite often in older cars. If the temperature difference between the outside and inside the car is too large, you can open the window to create a balance before thinking about starting the engine and turning on the air conditioning. With electric cars, turning on the air conditioning is quite safe due to the design of using only electricity, but you need to be careful to avoid draining the battery, making the car unable to move later.

Avoid soundproofing and noise reduction for cars

Nowadays, it is not uncommon for car owners to spray undercoating or soundproofing their "beloved cars", but few people know how to do it properly. In reality, cars have many vents and designed gaps for water drainage, but most of these details will be blocked if the technician who applies/sprays soundproofing and soundproofing layers does not have high professional knowledge.

Soundproofing layers can cover drains, vents, etc. on the vehicle.

Avoid sleeping in a car parked in a closed room.

One thing that few people pay attention to is that although cars are not airtight, garages in households are often quite airtight, and there is no way for exhaust fumes to escape if the user starts the engine and sleeps in the car. When exhaust fumes fill the room, they will leak back into the driver's compartment, with a high risk of causing unfortunate consequences. Therefore, make sure the parking area is well-ventilated before falling asleep.

Pay attention to sleeping position

Most cars today allow you to adjust the seats to sleep positions that can help prevent unwanted injuries. For example, on some Honda models with Magic Seat, the car seat can even be opened straight up to create a perfect bed. Please refer to the owner's manual that comes with the car for the most appropriate settings.

The "bed" is quite comfortable on the Honda Jazz.

Inform others that you are sleeping in the car

Having someone know you’re sleeping in your car significantly reduces the risk. They can check on you from time to time, and handle any problems that arise. You should also consider setting a timer before you fall asleep in your car.

Source