Hi-tech will send emergency alerts to parents and emergency services

Emerging technology will allow for cars to detect that a child is in distress, call an ambulance and unlock the doors.

Tragic deaths of kids in hot cars could be stopped by technology destined for future models.

Hi-tech cameras and radars capable of detecting a baby’s breathing and heartbeat will be built into a vehicle’s interior, sending emergency alerts to parents and emergency services.

The emerging technology will allow for cars to detect that a child is in distress, call an ambulance and unlock the doors to give paramedics access.

Carla Hoorweg, chief executive of the ANCAP car safety body, said “child presence detection and vehicle submergence systems will become part of the ANCAP and Euro NCAP scoring system from 2023”.

“CPD systems can detect when a child has been left alone in a car and alert the driver,” she said.

“The more sophisticated systems can activate the car windows or airconditioning systems or notify emergency services.”

Speaking with automotive media on Thursday, Heinz Abel, a safety spokesman for vehicle parts supplier Continental Tyres, said drivers will soon receive alerts if their car detects anyone locked in the vehicle.

“The child left behind is our first upcoming strong use case,” he said.

“We can transfer a message to the driver’s cell phone or to show a signal in a vehicle’s window message [if a child is left behind].”

Child presence detection and vehicle submergence systems will become part of the ANCAP and Euro NCAP scoring system from 2023. Picture: iStock

Kidsafe Victoria safety advice shows more than 5000 children are rescued after being left unattended in Australian cars each year.

The NRMA says a child left in a parked car “can very quickly become distressed, dehydrated and can die from organ failure”. 

Queensland’s RACQ receives four to five calls each day to rescue children locked in cars.

Mr Abel said cutting-edge technology in next-generation cars will also be able to monitor the breathing and heartbeats of all occupants.

That could take the form of a dashboard warning system to tell drivers to stop and check on passengers and children, automatically calling an ambulance if required.

The system will work in sync with automatic braking and lane-keeping features in new cars so that it can safely stop and call for assistance if something is wrong with the driver.

“We want to start with the driver first, because he plays a key role in the driving task,” Mr Abel said.

High-end brands such as Mercedes-Benz already sell cars that are capable of pulling to the side of the road if the driver is incapacitated.

Sophisticated sensors capable of detecting whether a driver is breathing irregularly may be able to provide vital health data to first responders, in addition to basic information such as the car’s location.

Emergency systems already fitted to some cars will automatically contact a third-party call centre which can call an ambulance on a driver’s behalf in the event of a crash.

Originally published as Hi-tech will send emergency alerts to parents and emergency services