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Cars should alert us if a kid is left behind. A new bill would make it happen.

September 3, 2019

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) called for updates to cars that can prevent children's heatstroke deaths at a press conference on Thursday, referencing the bill he is trying to help pass, the Hot Cars Act.

"The main point that I'm trying to make today is that no child should lose their life because they become trapped in a hot car," Pallone said.

If passed, the Hot Cars Act will require vehicles to be equipped with safety technologies to detect and alert a driver to the presence of a child in the backseat after the engine is shut off.

A subcommittee of Pallone's Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the bill last month and Pallone said they are trying to move the bill this fall.

According to the release, 36 children have died from being inside a hot car this year alone, and more than 900 children have died from heatstroke in cars since 1990.

Speakers at the press conference at JFK Medical Center in Edison focused on the urgency of the issue. Safety advocates, law enforcement members, and members of the medical community emphasized the importance of installing the technology inside new cars.

"If we leave our keys in the car, we get an alert. If we don't put our seatbelt on, we get an alert. If doors are open or ajar, we get an alert," said Middlesex County Sheriff Mildred Scott, one of the speakers. "So why would we not have an alert in our vehicles to save a life?"

"These children's deaths are preventable because we have existing technologies that can end these senseless tragedies where children die," Pallone said.

As part of a demonstration, a thermometer was placed inside a nearby car when the outside press conference started, detailing a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Twenty minutes later, it showed 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the car.

Cathy Chase, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, mentioned the recent accidents that have resulted in the deaths of small children. A 22-month-old girl died in Camden County after being left in train station parking lot. One-year-old twins died in a hot car in the Bronx after their father forget to drop them off at daycare.

Children's deaths in hot cars can be linked to a combination of the driver's stress, emotions, lack of sleep, and change in routine, according to researchers. Pallone called the science behind forgetting a child in a hot car "terrifying."

"No matter how loving or caring or how responsible a parent or a caregiver is, it's very possible that they forget the child is in the backseat," Pallone said.

A demonstration from IEE Sensing and Hyundai followed the press conference, with representatives from both companies explaining the existing technology that will help prevent future hot car deaths.

IEE Sensing, an automotive system supplier and manufacturer, demonstrated its VitaSense technology, which detects children left in vehicles.

Joseph Funkay, the vice president of the business line of IEE Sensing, said they had been developing the technology for about five years. It uses a low-level radar that sends out a radio wave and is reflected off a living person, so it can alert the driver.

"Our algorithms are so sophisticated that we can detect an infant, even if it's sleeping, through its breathing, even if it's covered with a blanket," he said.

The technology is not currently able to be retrofitted into existing vehicles, but is able to be included in new cars.

Hyundai has a similar alert system that will notify drivers if a rear door was opened or closed prior to starting the car and reminds the driver through a message on the dashboard to check the rear seats.

Janette Fennell, the founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, spoke on the necessity of implementing the technological solutions that are "readily available."

"Yet, automakers who are very aware of these deaths are not including these lifesaving systems in every vehicle. It is incomprehensible," she said. "These detection and alert systems are a lifeline for small children who cannot protect themselves."