The dangers of a keyless car ignition

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The dangers of a keyless car ignition

 

 

 

Drive a car with a keyless ignition? There is a possibility that you may  have forgotten to completely turn off your vehicle.  This mistake may seem minor while running errands at your local grocery store but when parked in a closed garage this mishap can become fatal.

 

Constance Petot, a Florida mom, learned this the hard way after she and her infant son nearly died.  

 

 

While finishing a conference call Petot drove into her home garage at 8 p.m. with her earbuds on and son in the backseat.  Petot then placed her car in park and pushed the button to close the garage.

 

"I assumed that I had pushed the button that turned off the car," Petot tells NBC news.

 

She then went upstairs to her apartment and placed her son in his bed.  For five hours the car engine ran releasing carbon monoxide into her garage and home.  At 1 a.m. her son woke up screaming due to a headache and his breathing appeared shallow.  

 

While running to his rescue Petot felt dizzy and immediately noticed something was off.  She grabbed her son to head to the hospital but when she opened the car door she was met with exhaust fumes. Barely standing Petot was able to make it to her mother's house to call 911.

 

"To see my son in my arms, passed out from the lack of oxygen was a moment that I would never wish on anyone," said Petot. After receiving medical attention, she was told that had it been 20 minutes more, "it would have been over," for both her and her son.

 

As reported by NBC news, one of 60 U.S. drivers, who park their cars with keyless ignitions in garages, forget to push the button that turns their vehicles off.  Although Petot and her son survived this dangerous incident many do not.  According to KidsAndCars.org, a non-profit child safety organization, at least 21 people have died.

 

To avoid future deaths safety advocates are pushing for the auto industry to install an alarm or software that stops the keyless car ignition after time has lapsed.

 

"What needs to happen is an automatic shutoff device," said Sean Kane, founder of the Safety Institute.

 

Government regulators are studying the issue of keyless ignitions posing danger, while Ford and Chevrolet are being proactive by installing automatic shutoffs in some of their vehicles.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have also proposed a rule requiring an audible alert.

 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Dangers-of-keyless-car-ignition-7238803.php