Motorists in Germany, where outdoor temperatures rarely rise much above room temperature, have been warned by the national automotive club that too much air-conditioning is hazardous to their health, dpa reported. Noting that indoor air-conditioning is relatively rare in Germany, the ADAC automotive club warned that most drivers in the country are baffled by car air-conditioning, which nowadays has become standard equipment on most new models. The ADAC warned that the physical shock of sitting in an air- conditioned car can result in everything from muscular aches and pains to severe colds, laryngitis and even pneumonia. "On a hot day, people tend to get in the car and turn the air- conditioner on full blast, and that is a serious mistake," according to the ADAC in a summer holiday driving alert. In addition, they adjust the air vents so that they blow cold air onto themselves and "this can leave them with a stiff neck". "Instead, they should put the fan on low and adjust the temperature so that it is only a couple of degrees below outdoor air temperature to start with," the alert added. Car windows should remain open a bit during this transitional period in order, as the pamphlet says, "to let all that pent-up hot air out" of the car. "As time goes on, they can adjust the temperature setting downward. But under no circumstances should the temperature inside the car be more than six degrees Celsius (10 degrees F) lower than the outdoor temperature or else the shock on getting out will be too stressful for the human body to cope with." --more 1051 Local Time 0751 GMT
