Devices Fail to Alert Parents About Kids in Hot Cars

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. This year for the United States as a whole, the average temperature has increased by a greater value when compared to past 50 years.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, special seats and other devices that are designed in order to help prevent the parents from leaving their kids back in the hot car are not reliable.

It was noticed that last year nearly 33 children lost their lives after being left behind in hot cars as these devices are limited in their effectiveness and are unreliable as a stand- alone preventive measure for addressing child heatstroke cases. About 500 children died after being left unattended in vehicles between 1998 and 2009, according to San Francisco State University research. In 2010 the number dropped to 49 fatalities.

"With summer temperatures hitting record highs around the country, child heatstroke is clearly an issue of national concern," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Public education is the best way to help parents and caregivers prevent tragic accidents and keep their children safe."

This new report reviewed nearly 18 commercial products, that included 'Suddenly Safe Pressure Pad', that sense the child's presence in a car seat, alarms that alert parents and ChildMinder Smart Clip System that help you make sure whether the seatbelt is buckled well.

David Strickland, administrator for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said, "while these devices are very well-intended, none of them are a full or complete solution for making sure a parent never leaves a baby behind in a hot car." 

The NHTSA report said that, in some cases, spilled liquids caused malfunctions, cellphone use interfered with device signals, devices turned off and on during travel and an improperly positioned child caused seat pads to malfunction. "In sum, the devices require considerable effort from the parent/caregiver to ensure smooth operation," the report said.

According to the researchers, the safety technologies especially those intended to protect children have to be virtually free of defects. The devices available to the consumers at this stage don't meet that standard.

In order to avoid such fatal occurrence, the parents should consider taking their children out of cars if they leave a vehicle or even if the windows are partially open or the air conditioner is on. Parents should be in the habit of looking in the vehicle - front and back - before locking the door and walking away. Consider asking the childcare provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected. Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a cell phone, purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidentally left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver's view to indicate a child is in the car seat. It is very important to teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child's reach.

The agency is running radio and online advertisements under the theme: "Where's baby? Look before you lock." Temperatures can rise above 110 degrees inside a closed car even when it's in the 60s outside, increasing almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes, according to NHTSA.