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Hot Cars - Latest News
University of Alabama engineers develop solution to child heat deaths in cars
An average of 37 children die each year in the United States from being trapped inside a hot car, and engineering researchers at The University of Alabama have crafted a solution to prevent these tragic accidents. A patent-pending device can alert a cell phone when a human or animal is inside a parked vehicle getting too hot. It was developed by UA students from a concept devised by Dr. Timothy A. Haskew, department head and UA professor of electrical and computer engineering, The device monitors carbon dioxide levels from human breath inside a vehicle along with temperature and car movement, using computer algorithms to determine when to alert a cell phone.
The US is about to break its own record for kids who've died in hot cars within a year
The United States is on the verge of breaking its record for the number of children who've died in hot cars within one year, the National Safety Council warned on Tuesday. Forty-eight children have died in hot cars this year — one less than the all-time high of 49 deaths, set in 2010, the organization said.
The Utterly Heartbreaking and Horrifying Hot-Car Death of Baby Fern Thedford
Jennifer and Michael Thedford held hands as they walked into the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, north of Dallas. Jennifer, a 34-year-old veterinarian, was dressed in black pants and a blousy black sleeveless shirt, her blond hair pulled behind her ears. Michael, a 35-year-old high school science teacher, was wearing a dark suit, a gray shirt, and a dark tie.
Hot Car Deaths: Why Do Parents Still Face Prison for a ‘Normal’ Memory Lapse?
In late June, 38-year-old Nicole Engler unintentionally left her only child to die of hyperthermia in a hot car. Hours later, tearing her hair out and begging police to let her commit suicide, she was in the county jail, facing second-degree manslaughter charges. Her attorney picked up the phone and called neuroscientist David Diamond in Florida to ask for his help—and for the 19th time in his career, Diamond agreed to tell a court why parents and caretakers lose awareness of children in the back seat of a car.
2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Rear Occupant Alert Aims to Protect Kids From Hot Cars
Hyundai rolled out a new technology in the redesigned 2019 Santa Fe SUV that could help prevent parents from leaving a child in the back seat of a hot car. Hyundai’s system, called Rear Occupant Alert, goes a step beyond competitors’ systems because in addition to reminding drivers that the rear door was opened prior to the trip, it continues to monitor the rear seat for motion after the vehicle is parked and all doors are locked. “Hyundai’s two-stage warning system—which uses door logic as well as an ultrasonic motion sensor located in the ceiling behind the rear seat—is a step above what other automakers are offering, based on our evaluation,” says Emily Thomas, Ph.D., Consumer Reports’ automotive safety engineer.
