David Greenhalgh, a physician and chief of burns at Shriners Hospital for Children in Northern California,

Car seat heaters become safety target

By Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY

Burn treatment doctors and safety advocates plan to ask federal regulators and automakers today to address the safety of car seat heaters, which they say have severely burned dozens of paralyzed and otherwise disabled drivers and passengers.

says it can take months for a wheelchair-bound person's burns to heal. The "integrity of the skin" can be compromised for the rest of their lives, he says.

The temperatures of some seat heaters — used to keep motorists' backsides warm in cold weather — can reach 160 degrees, according to research by doctors and fire safety experts. Some automakers limit the temperature to 105 degrees, the maximum doctors advise, but others have seats that often reach 120 degrees, which can quickly cause third-degree burns.VICTIMS: Some people can't feel they're being burned