Sunburnt car lays bare bubbling risks to Aussies’ skin while driving
A creepy ‘sunburnt’ car upholstered in prosthetic skin that burns under the sun’s UV rays has been displayed in Australia as a powerful reminder to cover up in cars – see the unsettling result
READING LEVEL: GREEN
You may have travelled in a car with leather seats, but what about one where the seats are covered in fake human skin?
A car covered in eerily lifelike synthetic* skin has been specially created to demonstrate the risk of sun exposure Australians face while driving and travelling in cars.
The fake skin, complete with hair and moles, actually burns when exposed to the sun, showing that dangerous UV rays can still reach drivers and passengers when they are inside a vehicle.
The bizarre creation, commissioned by mycar Tyre & Auto, was engineered to mimic how human skin responds to UV exposure in real time, changing colour to demonstrate the sun’s impact on drivers not wearing sun protection.
Photos of the The Sunburnt Car exhibit, which was displayed at Sydney’s Circular Quay on Wednesday, show skin-like texture, human hairs, moles and patches of angry red sunburn.
According to mycar, the skin reacts to different types of UV exposure, including when the car window is open or closed.
The installation comes after research released by mycar found 70 per cent of Australians wrongly believe they are protected from the sun while inside a car.
Standard vehicle windows are not fully capable of blocking all harmful UV rays, and window tint can only reduce exposure by a small amount – a fact 39 per cent of respondents did not know.
The findings also show 65 per cent of people do not apply sunscreen before driving, leaving themselves open to long-term skin damage.
mycar Tyre & Auto Chief Customer Officer Adele Coswello said the campaign was created to bring that risk to life in a way Australians could not ignore.
“Many Australians don’t realise that UV exposure in the car creates damage over time,” Ms Coswello said.
“Damage to your skin can happen without the visible effects of burning.
“This experiment is an important reminder to drivers and their passengers to understand the risk and protect themselves.”
The incredibly eerie fake skin was created in partnership with ODD Studio, the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning prosthetic* effects specialists.
Scientific input and medical guidance were also provided by Dr Joanneke Maitz, a surgeon-scientist in burns and reconstructive surgery* at Concord Hospital.
“Many Australians don’t realise that UV exposure in the car creates damage over time,” Dr Maitz said. “Damage to your skin can happen without the visible effects of burning. This experiment is an important reminder to drivers and their passengers to understand the risk and protect themselves.
“Although UVB*, the main cause of visible sunburn, doesn’t typically penetrate car glass, UVA* does in varying amounts. UVA reaches deeper layers of the skin, where it contributes to long-term DNA damage and ageing. Window tinting and treatments can reduce this exposure, but driving with windows or the roof open allows the full UV spectrum through.”
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer worldwide, and Australia has the highest incidence* and mortality* rates in the world.
Anne Gately, author of skin cancer memoir Sunburnt and ambassador for the campaign, said sun safety was urgent, not optional.
“As someone who survived stage IV melanoma, I know first-hand how easy it is to underestimate the sun and what it takes to truly protect yourself,” she said. “The Sunburnt Car makes this danger visible and tangible*.”
To help Aussies fight back, mycar Tyre & Auto have started providing “sun spot stickers” for motorists at any of its 275+ locations.
These stickers could serve as a daily reminder for Aussies to consider UV exposure before getting in the car.
The sticker can be placed on any part of a car interior and changes colour when UV is detected, letting drivers and passengers know when it’s time to protect their skin.
While the car itself looks undeniably gross, it communicates an invaluable message about sun safety that no Australian should ignore.
So, next time your family prepares for a long drive, make sure you remind everyone to slip, slop and slap before hitting the road.
WATCH THE VIDEO
POLL
GLOSSARY
- synthetic: artificial, human-made
- prosthetic: artificial body part
- reconstructive surgery: plastic surgery that aims to bring back function and improve the appearance of body parts affected by injury or birth defects
- UVB: high energy ultraviolet radiation from the sun that soak into the outer layers of the skin and cause sunburn and skin cancers
- UVA: long wavelength invisible light that comes from the sun that soaks deeper into the skin causing early ageing, like wrinkles, as well as skin cancer. UVA rays make up about 95 per cent of the UV rays that reach the Earth
- incidence: people getting Melanoma
- mortality: mortality rate refers to the rate that people die from a disease
- tangible: something you can touch and feel
EXTRA READING
Are your eyes sun-safe right now?
What happens when you get sunburnt?
Popular sunscreens fail SPF test
QUICK QUIZ
1. Why has the Sunburnt Car been fitted out with UV reactive synthetic skin?
2. What features does it have that make it look like real skin?
3. What are the two types of UV rays that we should be careful of?
4. Which UV ray can penetrate glass and cause sun damage in the deeper layers of skin?
5. Which UV ray causes direct sunburn?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Make them safer
Can you think of any ways that car design could be improved to make them sun safe for drivers and passengers? Describe your features and create a design.
Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity.
Curriculum Links: English, Design and Technology, Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
Can you think of another everyday activity where it is easy to forget about sun safety? Describe it. Then create a plan or idea that will get people’s attention and remind them of the risks of sun exposure during that activity.
Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education
VCOP ACTIVITY
Down-level it
When you up-level a sentence, you do things to it to improve it: make it more interesting, or more complex.
But sometimes, when we read something it can be too complex and we don’t understand it very well. You ask someone to explain it to you, they do (in a simpler way) and you think, well why didn’t they just say that?
Go through the article and find a sentence or two that is complex, or hard to read.
Ask an adult what it means, or try and look some of the words up in the glossary.
Once you know what it means, see if you can rewrite it in a simpler way- down-level it.
Make sure you don’t change the meaning of the sentence in any way though.