Arizona girl, 2, left in car by father on 109-degree day and is found dead

[jdglove]

I have been thinking, every year 40-50 kids are left in hot cars. Is there a way to change a car/car seat configuration so that a siren starts if you leave the kid in the car alone? Something like it? Because obviously, we can’t rely on humans?

I agree. People are fallible and exercise different degrees of neglect and distraction and such. Vulnerable children deserve protection. Engineers and regulators work on this.

Not too far in the future I could imagine a parent and child (any dependent) wearing shared bracelets that transmits feeling of physical or emotional stress from dependent to caregiver. (just for example) It could be sharing physical pain, discomfort like temperature, even rapid heartbeat or unusual breathing patterns. I feel like 90% of these cases would be avoided if the parent knew what their child was experiencing.

The vast majority of these parents are not monsters and just need help being better and more attentive parents when distracted or overwhelmed by their own issues. Tech can help.

 

[Herat]

I think there is a real need for a backseat camera type of device to have that sends you regular images of the back seat with a chime or alert system until you turn it off.

However, in CS's case, he deliberately and customarily left the helpless child in the back seat so he would likely disable it or put it on ignore. I would be suspect that he usually left her there for more than the "30 minutes" the engine ran and the A/C was on.

It can't be like the passenger seat seat belt chime that only lets you know if there is a weight in the front seat and the seat belt isn't buckled. Children in these back seat disasters are usually seat belted in and an alarm that just senses weight on a seat is going to drive you nuts if you regularly have things in the back seat.

I think Honda does a good job in their manual on children's safety, but I agree that a simple idiot light on the control panel is not enough notice that you actually have left a child in the back and is very easy to overlook, ignore, or disable.

 

[mickey2942]

I think there is a real need for a backseat camera type of device to have that sends you regular images of the back seat with a chime or alert system until you turn it off.

However, in CS's case, he deliberately and customarily left the helpless child in the back seat so he would likely disable it or put it on ignore. I would be suspect that he usually left her there for more than the "30 minutes" the engine ran and the A/C was on.

"It can't be like the passenger seat seat belt chime that only lets you know if there is a weight in the front seat and the seat belt isn't buckled. Children in these back seat disasters are usually seat belted in and an alarm that just senses weight on a seat is going to drive you nuts if you regularly have things in the back seat.

I think Honda does a good job in their manual on children's safety, but I agree that a simple idiot light on the control panel is not enough notice that you actually have left a child in the back and is very easy to overlook, ignore, or disable.

We had a rental car with a "back seat" minder in it. I found it very annoying and wished I could have turned it off. We had no kids in the back, just luggage, my husband's oxygen stuff, walker, wheelchair..that triggered it. I don't remember what car it was...maybe a Chrysler Pacifica..

 

[Herat]

We had a rental car with a "back seat" minder in it. I found it very annoying and wished I could have turned it off. We had no kids in the back, just luggage, my husband's oxygen stuff, walker, wheelchair..that triggered it. I don't remember what car it was...maybe a Chrysler Pacifica..

Yes, there is some type of technology available, but unless you really want notifications, it can easily be bypassed.

I really don't think CS liked being bothered with alarms when he was inside the nice cool house playing with his PlayStation. That's the problem. He just wanted alone time, he didn't want to be bothered with a fussy 2 year old either inside the car or inside the house.