Parents, alarms can help save kids in hot cars

The first days of the Texas summer have been heartbreaking.

The unexplained death of a Bedford teenage girl left us confused. But the heatstroke deaths of seven small Texas children inside parked cars leave us frustrated, not only with parents but also with carmakers.

In an age when our smartphones and cars warn us the moment we slip past the speed limit or drift out of a freeway lane, it would seem carmakers also could send an alert or a buzz when there might be precious cargo in the back seat.

That might not have saved the lives of Keandre Goodman, 3, who died Friday when he got trapped inside a broken-down car in southeast Fort Worth, or Juliet and Cavanaugh Ramirez, the toddlers who died May 26 when deputies say their mother fell asleep in a rural Parker County home near Lake Weatherford.

But even one alert to an absent-minded parent’s dashboard or smartphone might save the next child’s life. Some General Motors vehicles now come with a “Rear Seat Reminder” that goes off if a rear door has been opened on departure but not on arrival, and the carmaker plans to expand that warning.

Other carmakers could add similar safety warnings, which is the point of a U.S. House bill called the federal Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats (HOTCARS) Act. The bill by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, has bipartisan sponsors.

Texas has taken a positive step. A new law going into effect Sept. 1 eliminates any fear of liability risk for rescuers who break windows or doors to rescue a small child at risk inside a locked vehicle.

That bill was written by state Rep. Celia Israel, an Austin Democrat, but supported by Freedom Caucus Republicans, indicating lawmakers can work together to protect children.

Texas leads the nation in child deaths inside cars. Obviously, some examples involve accidental oversight while others involve intentional action.

Under state law, no child 7 or younger can be left in a car more than five minutes, either alone or with another child under 14.

For children, summer is a time of freedom. Don’t leave them in a death trap.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Parents, alarms can help save kids in hot cars."