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Today Marks The First Day Of Summer Which Means It's Officially Seat Belt Burning Season

Today Marks The First Day Of Summer Which Means It's Officially Seat Belt Burning Season

Don't say you haven't been warned.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

It's the beginning of December, which means Australians can gear up for a summer that will likely bring devastatingly hot temperatures.

As the temperatures rise to their annual peak, we should be wary about getting into our cars.

Not because there's a heightened risk of road accidents during summer, but because there is a hidden enemy when you get in: your seat belt.

Holly Golightly/Twitter

It usually saves your life in a crash and you should absolutely put in on every time, however it's worth noting that if it's been left sitting in the hot sun for a few hours then it can cause an almighty burn when you hop in.

Some people like to air out their cars by whacking the air con up to full for a couple of minutes before getting in. But you need a much longer time frame if you're to cool the small branding iron that has been cooking ever since you left.

Last summer there were plenty of people who didn't heed this warning and carelessly jumped in their car to hit the road. Without warning, their seat belt buckle hit their skin and caused a welt or worse.

One person posted to Reddit, saying: "It hit 45 degrees Celsius in our area today and my boyfriend got instantly branded by his seat belt buckle getting into his car. It's already peeling."

Considering parts of Australia were the hottest areas on earth last week, it's worth keeping in mind we will likely have plenty more days just like that over the coming weeks. But that's not the only issue with Australia's hot summer weather. Last year, the roads melted.

It's so hot in Australia that roads have begun melting.
Facebook/Port August City Council

Some towns in the state of South Australia almost reached 50C, and Nullarbor set the December record for the state, reaching 49.9C - the fourth hottest temperature in the country's history.

In Port Augusta, the council had to advise people to avoid certain roads due to the fact they were melting.

In a post on Facebook, the council said: "Please be aware that due to the extreme heat some roads are showing signs of bleeding, a contractor has been engaged to spread rocks over problem areas.

"McConnal Road, Alma Street, Forster Street and Cobbin Street have all shown signs of bleeding. The roads should be avoided and only used by local residents - please take an alternate route during this extreme weather."

Meanwhile in Adelaide, people without air con struggled getting to sleep during the hottest night on record, with the temperature never dropping below 33.6C.

Featured Image Credit: GoodCelery/Reddit

Topics: Australia