Nonprofit pushes to prevent deaths of kids in hot cars

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Since 1990, over 900 children have died in hot cars, according to the nonprofit Kids and Cars.

“We’ve seen it happen to a veterinarian, a dentist, a school principal, literally a rocket scientist,” said Susan Auriemma, Vice President of Kids and Cars. “So the worst mistake a parent can make is thinking this can’t happen to them.”

According to psychologist Nava Silton, Ph.D., the human brain can only handle to man tasks and that these tragedies generally happen when parents are doing something that is out of their busy routine.

“I think that these are parents often who are overwhelmed or sleep deprived,” Silton said. “I think they are used to their everyday habits, their everyday routine, and so when anything novel comes into their daily routine, they are not always able to switch from their habit and routine into this novel responsibility.”

Now, some car manufacturers have introduced novel technology to remind drivers they have forgotten something in the car. Kids And Cars has been pushing congress to pass a law requiring all car manufacturers install sensors that would detect a child’s motion or breathing in a car and alert the driver.