Safety advocates call for more regulation to prevent kids from dying in hot cars
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- So far, seven children have died this year after being left in hot cars, according to the nonprofit Kids And Car Safety. Your first thought might be, how could anyone forget a child in the back of a car? But many experts say it can happen to anyone.
Often parents and caregivers are on autopilot and sometimes a slight change in the drop-off routine can lead to the unthinkable.
Amber Rollins is the director of Kids and Car Safety, the only organization in the country to track hot car deaths.
Since 1990, more than 1,000 children have died after being left in a vehicle that overheats. At least 30 deaths have occurred in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
"It heats up very quickly inside like an oven and you combine that with the fact that a child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult, and you've got a recipe for disaster in literally minutes," Rollins said.
Two weeks ago, advocates and families shared their personal stories in Washington, D.C., to encourage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA to move forward with requirements for car manufacturers to install technology that prevents hot car deaths.
Rollins said her team has met with NHTSA officials to explain the specific technology needed to prevent children from getting left behind in overheated vehicles.
"The technology we want is occupant detection. It can actually detect a child in the car. It can tell the difference between a grown-up and a child, and it can alert the driver, bystanders, even authorities that a child has been left behind and is in danger. This costs less than $20 per vehicle," Rollins said.
Most newer cars already have an alert system that reminds parents to check the rear seat, but some experts say that can actually create a false sense of security.
Rollins said, "Tragically we've already documented six babies that have died in cars that have that system. It doesn't work."
NHTSA told CBS News Philadelphia in a statement that it acknowledges there may be safer options beyond the rear seat reminder. It's now testing existing radar systems before issuing proposed rules this August.
