Dozens of people died because of the Start/Stop button on cars
At least 28 people are believed to have died in the US due to the Start-Stop keyless ignition. The accidents occurred when these people forgot to turn off the engine.
Keyless car starting systems are becoming more popular, but they can also cause tragedy in certain situations.
SheetNew York Times (NYT)At least 28 people have died in the US from inhaling carbon monoxide (CO) from vehicles. At least 45 people were injured and some were left with cerebral palsy as a result.
Keyless ignition is now available on half of all new cars sold in the U.S., but while convenient, it can be a silent killer if you forget to turn off the engine while parking your car in the garage.
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| Keyless start is a "silent killer". |
This is entirely possible, especially with quiet cars. If the garage is connected to a closed house, the exhaust fumes from the car will poison everyone in the house.
Despite the growing number of fatalities, most automakers have no safety measures in place to prevent vehicles from emitting CO under unwanted circumstances.
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| Many people forget to turn off the engine when entering the house because the car runs too smoothly. |
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has called for keyless ignition systems to be equipped with the ability to alert the owner when the vehicle is still running, but has received no response.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also issued new regulations requiring similar changes, but many automakers still ignored them.
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| Some new Ford models are equipped with an automatic engine shut-off feature. |
However, some new Ford models have the ability to automatically turn off the engine if the car is left idling for 30 minutes and the keys are not in the car.
The reason car manufacturers don't want to add this safety feature is because it could cost them about $500,000 a year.
