Below are statements to NBC News from representatives of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors and Volvo in response to an Aug. 4, 2010 report about the deaths of children in hot cars:
Statement from Wade Newton, spokesperson for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers:
“Automakers join others in their concerns about keeping people — especially children — safe around autos. That’s why the Alliance partnered with Safe Kids USA to spread awareness of the dangers of leaving children in a car — for even a few seconds; or allowing unsupervised children access to an unlocked vehicle. We remind caregivers to put a cell phone, PDA or something else they will carry away from the vehicle in front of a child in the backseat; that can help remind them there’s a child in the vehicle.
Additionally:
- We urge parents to set a PDA and computer reminder that asks everyday if the child has been dropped off at daycare.
- Have a plan that if a child is late for daycare, the parents and caregivers will be called within a few minutes.
- Be especially careful when changing the routine used when dropping off kids at daycare.
- Teach children not to play in any vehicle. Cars are not playgrounds or baby sitters.
- Lock all vehicle doors and the trunk after everyone’s left the vehicle and keep keys out of children’s reach.
- Check vehicles and trunks FIRST if a child goes missing.
Automakers continue working to make vehicles even safer for children in many ways. As this work continues, caregiver supervision will always be the most effective way to protect children from the dangers of an unattended vehicle. Any technical solution, should one be successfully developed, mayaid caregivers, but close supervision will always be the fundamental factor in keeping children safe in and around automobiles.”
Statement from David Strickland, NHTSA Administrator:
“Our data shows that hyperthermia is the number one non-crash vehicle-related cause of death for children in the U.S., and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is committed to preventing these tragedies from continuing. The agency will be looking into ways to keep children from suffering this horrible fate. In the meantime, we continue to urge parents, caregivers and the public to remain vigilant and take precautionary action to help prevent future tragedies from occurring. We don’t want to see any parents make a mistake that turns out to be fatal.”
Statement from General Motors spokesperson William Grotz:
“We have evaluated a variety of technologies that detect the presence of children left unattended in vehicles and alert people near the vehicles of the situation. However, the technologies we looked at were not reliable enough. We’ve concluded that the most effective way to deal with this issue is to build awareness among parents, caregivers and passers-by. Over the past decade, we’ve partnered with the Safe Kids Worldwide organization to promote and conduct our “Never Leave Your Child Alone” education and awareness campaign. A variety of consumer outreach activities have proven effective in spreading the word about the issue and preventative measures. We’re committed to the cause, and our work continues. This program has a strong presence on our GM corporate website along with several other child passenger safety initiatives like “Safe Kids Buckle Up” and “Spot the Tot.”
Statement from Volvo spokesperson Dan Johnston:
“The biggest issue is liability. The reason we haven’t developed [our child heartbeat sensor] any further is that the resources have been used to bring out safety systems that have a larger impact on deaths. Our resources have been toward a priority list of how to reduce the greatest number of death and injuries ... and unfortunately with children left in cars, there’s about 37 a year. We are starting to work on that again, but right now, there isn’t anything.”