Devices to prevent kids being left in hot cars
Categories: Health & safety, Baby essentials
Have you seen the Volvo commercial where the woman is walking to her car, alone at night, across a dark parking lot? As she approaches her car, she notices a flashing signal on her key fob. Her car's computer has detected a heartbeat inside the car and is warning her to stay away. She looks alarmed and turns around and walks quickly back in the direction from which she came. I don't like the commercial - it is creepy and it seems designed expressly to scare women.
While that may be how Volvo is marketing its Personal Car Communicator, it has another use that actually makes a lot of sense - the heartbeat detector would also alert parents if they accidentally left a child in the car.
Another device, the Child Minder system, involves replacing the car seat's harness with a "smart clip" that is synchronized to a key ring alarm. As long as a child is buckled into the seat, an alarm will sound if the key ring moves further than 10 feet from the vehicle. NASA in working on something similar which uses a weight-sensitive pad under the car seat cushion.
Clearly, the technology exists for devices that would prevent the all-too-common summer tragedy of children dying after being forgotten in a sweltering car. But it would cost automakers a bundle to incorporate this feature into their vehicles and so far, Volvo seems to be the only one doing it.
According to a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, money isn't the reason car manufacturers aren't including these safety devices as standard equipment. According to Wade Newton, it is because no one has come up with a system that doesn't give false alarms. That sounds like an excuse to me. Safety devices give false alarms all the time. How many times has your car's intruder alarm gone off because of thunder?
While that may be how Volvo is marketing its Personal Car Communicator, it has another use that actually makes a lot of sense - the heartbeat detector would also alert parents if they accidentally left a child in the car.
Another device, the Child Minder system, involves replacing the car seat's harness with a "smart clip" that is synchronized to a key ring alarm. As long as a child is buckled into the seat, an alarm will sound if the key ring moves further than 10 feet from the vehicle. NASA in working on something similar which uses a weight-sensitive pad under the car seat cushion.
Clearly, the technology exists for devices that would prevent the all-too-common summer tragedy of children dying after being forgotten in a sweltering car. But it would cost automakers a bundle to incorporate this feature into their vehicles and so far, Volvo seems to be the only one doing it.
According to a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, money isn't the reason car manufacturers aren't including these safety devices as standard equipment. According to Wade Newton, it is because no one has come up with a system that doesn't give false alarms. That sounds like an excuse to me. Safety devices give false alarms all the time. How many times has your car's intruder alarm gone off because of thunder?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kate 7-31-2007 @ 12:17PM
How the hell does one "accidentally" leave their child in the car?? Seriously. It's not an accident; it's a choice and it's unforgivable. Rather than an alarm to beep or whatever, we need something to deliver a strong electric shock to the parent/caregiver.
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Eva 7-31-2007 @ 2:45PM
Yes, I can't imagine accidentally leaving my child in the car. That's not an accident--it's neglect.
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Jessica 7-31-2007 @ 3:55PM
No to both of you. it does happen accidentally. Yes, it's horrible, but it can happen accidentally.
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tanyetta 8-01-2007 @ 4:48AM
you know what, i am torn over this leaving a baby in the car by accident business.
i just pray they come up with something that WARNS people.
what about a bullhorn voice that says, hey!!! you left your baby in the car! my heart bleeds for anyone who has experienced this.
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Tom 8-10-2007 @ 12:37PM
Would you buy this device for you are someone you knew?
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Ta 8-23-2007 @ 10:02PM
I am sick to my stomach over the issue of children being left in cars. Accidentally or intentionally it is still a tradegy. I would never forget my children in the car but there are people who are less inclined to think about their kids because of busy life styles, so to me the invention of a device that will save many children is long time coming and I wish we could get it mandated to be installed in every vehicle manufactured, think of all the lives it will save!
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Kellye Weinhofer 9-04-2007 @ 6:05PM
I pray non of the people who say never come across their own human frailties! It happens to people who would love their children just as passionately as you!
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FAITH MARTIN 9-16-2007 @ 6:17PM
we need to petition this so the car manufacturers have to put a safety device in all vehicles.IF EVERYONE GETS PEOPLE TO SIGN IN EACH STATE, I WILL PERSONALLY CALL CONGRESS,SENATES,ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN.ANYONE INTERESTED EMAIL AT DAISY8_6@YAHOO.COM.LETS CHANGE THE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN!!!!!
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Becky Hamilton 9-20-2007 @ 10:54AM
It is amazing to me that there are actually ignorant people in the world that would think "That could never happen to me" Guess what? It could. I personally know two people who lived and breathed their child that lost her because one of them forgot to drop her off at daycare. It was an accident and a horrible tragedy and I pray for them daily. And I will pray daily for those of you who condemn them and anyone else that has shared that misfortune. I'll pray you never have to feel that hurt or carry that burden. Instead of condemning and blaming how about helping to make sure parents are informed of the devices out there to keep it from happening to anyone else. Use that mouth for something other than shooting out stupidity!
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