Technology to stop kids dying in hot cars
The shock death of a baby in Sydney has highlighted the one piece of safety tech many new cars are missing.
Car makers are racing to prevent children from being trapped in hot vehicles amid fresh calls to implement new techology that will save lives.
The safety issue was thrust back into the spotlight on Tuesday after a one-year-old girl died inside a car outside a Sydney childcare centre.
Police say the child was left for “an extended period of time” before being found at 5:35pm outside the Earlwood address.
Temperatures in the area reached almost 30C on Tuesday afternoon.
In-car occupant detection systems similar to home security systems are in many new model electric vehicles and can sound an alarm if passengers – or even pets – are trapped inside the car.
Cars can activate airconditioning to keep the cabin at a safe temperature, contact drivers using smartphone apps to tell them to return to their vehicle, honk their horn and flash lights to draw attention to the vehicle.
Upcoming models will be able to contact a call centre which can send police or paramedics to the car.
BYD’s Dolphin electric car became the first vehicle on Australian roads to link child presence detection features with climate control when it went on sale in 2023.
The car’s large electric battery lets it run the airconditioning safely without running a petrol engine producing excess heat or potentially harmful exhaust emissions.
It’s an impressive feature in a car that costs $29,990 plus on-road costs – about $32,000 drive-away.
At the other end of the price scale, Volvo’s EX90 is reaching showrooms now.
The electric SUV promises to be one of the safest cars in the world, with precise radar sensors in the roof of the car that can detect the subtle movements of a breathing person or animal.
Volvo says that every time you try to lock the car, “the interior radar system is activated and determines whether your car is empty of any people or pets, before it allows the car to be locked”.
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“If a family member or pet is detected inside, the car will remain unlocked and the car will display a reminder to check the cabin for occupants on the centre console screen.
“The car’s climate system can remain on if people or animals are detected in the cabin, to improve comfort. This can also help lower the risk of hypothermia or heatstroke.”
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Volvo spokeswoman Lotta Jakobsson says “no one chooses to be distracted or tired, but we know it can happen”.
“We’re all human and distraction is a fact of life,” she says.
“With the help of cutting-edge technology, we’ll support you when you’re not at your best and help you avoid leaving family members or pets behind by accident.”
The Volvo EX90 is on sale now, priced from $124,900 plus on-road costs.
Kidsafe Australia reports that 5000 children are locked in cars each year.
Speaking with News Corp Australia in 2022, Christine Erskine, chief executive of Kidsafe NSW, said emerging technology was “amazing”, though it would take time to trickle through to the majority of cars on the road.
“Obviously you want every new car to be as safe as possible, but there will still be a lot of older cars around,” she said.
“There will be a delay in access to that technology. Younger drivers and various socio economic groups won’t have access to this … some people may never have access to it.
“These are great additional features for safety that everyone should want, but you should still have other strategies – put your purse or keys in the back seat, your handbag, your briefcase, something important so that you don’t forget to check the back seat.”
Originally published as Technology to stop kids dying in hot cars
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