Safety Advocacy Group Launches White House Petition to Prevent Hot Car Deaths
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Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Safety advocacy group KidsAndCars.org launched a White House petition Monday, calling attention to child deaths in hot vehicles and urging the Obama administration to provide funding for related research and technology.
The request asks the U.S. Department of Transportation to finance innovative technology that may detect when a child is left alone in the back of a car, and suggests the installation of such devices in all vehicles.
“These memory errors are committed by normal, attentive and loving parents. Many of these parents had believed that they could never forget their children, until their children died,” said David Diamond, neuroscientist with KidsandCars.org. “Scientific studies confirm that you can’t assume your memory will never fail, and the consequences of a memory failure can be tragic.”
More than 670 children have died in hot cars in the past 20 years, with at least 17 cases in 2014, according to the group.
The petition comes on the heels of several related incidents, including the death of a 22-month-old Georgia boy who was left in an SUV by his father.
KidsandCars.org requests 100,000 signatures by Aug. 12.
“We believe the public wants action now,” said Janette Fennell, the group’s founder and president. “These deaths are happening too frequently in communities across the country and the petition will ensure White House attention and a response.”
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