Each year, we hear tragic stories of children left in hot cars, often due to Forgotten Baby Syndrome, which can cause heatstroke, life-threatening injuries, or even death. Italy has taken a major step in preventing these tragic incidents by enacting a law to protect children under four years old. This law will require drivers to install special alarms in car seats that will alert them when a child has been left inside the car even after the driver has exited.
Italy’s New Law: A Game Changer in Car Safety
All vehicles transporting children under four must have car seats with built-in alarms. These alarms will activate when the driver leaves the vehicle, emitting a loud sound or sending an alert to their phone if the driver has driven a specific distance away from the car. These devices are designed to help prevent heatstroke or injuries to children by reminding caregivers and parents to make sure their child has been safely removed from the vehicle.
It is an urgent and proactive move on the part of Italy to reduce heat-related deaths and illnesses. Children are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke, as the temperature inside a car can rise rapidly even when windows are cracked. They heat up much faster than adults and are therefore more vulnerable to heatstroke.
2023 Crisis in the U.S. 54 Children Forgotten in Cars
This new law is a response to a global problem that has been ongoing for many years. In 2023, 54 children in the United States tragically died after being left in a car. The numbers could rise even more in the following years. The Forgotten Baby Syndrome is a common, and often preventable, cause of child death. It’s primarily due to parental distraction or oversight. These cases, while often viewed as mistakes by the parents, can have irreversible effects.
Amber Rollins is the director of Kids and Cars a non-profit organization that aims to prevent child injuries and death related to motor vehicle accidents. She stresses the importance of using the technology to save children’s lives. Rollins explains that car seat alarms are a vital tool in preventing such deaths.
At-Risk Child: Alarms are Necessary for Children at Risk
Rollins points out that children younger than three years old are most at risk of being left in a vehicle. One-third of children who died from heat in cars did not use a car seat. The new Italian law directly addresses this problem, but the situation is still alarming in many other countries, including the U.S.
The hot car death rate in the U.S. reached a record high in 2018. Data suggests that 2019 may have been worse. In mid-2019, 52 kids had already died in hot cars. This is a sad reminder of just how quickly temperatures inside a car can rise to deadly levels. Even with the windows cracked, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 125degF within minutes. This is a dangerous situation for children.
Heatstroke is Dangerous for More than Just Death.
Heatstroke is a serious medical condition that can cause severe dehydration and even lead to death. This is made even more tragic by the fact that children’s body absorbs heat up to five times quicker than adults. They can overheat in a very short time.
Rollins points out that although the data on heat-related deaths are readily available, there is less documentation about the long-term effects. Children who survive heatstroke can suffer permanent brain damage and cognitive impairments. Heatstroke can have a lifelong impact on a child’s ability to develop, learn, and function normally.
Awakening Parents: It’s More Than Just a Distracted Error
A 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning article by The Washington Post states that most parents who leave their children in cars are attentive and loving, but distracted or forgetful. The parents may not have intended to harm the children but their distractions could be disastrous. Alarm systems like the ones now mandatory in Italy serve to remind parents to check the safety of their kids before leaving the vehicle.
It seems that technology is the key to preventing these tragedies. Alarms on car seats can provide parents with an extra layer to protect them from making a mistake.
Look Ahead: Global Solutions
Other countries, such as the U.S. must follow Italy’s lead. It is urgent to take action in light of the growing number of hot-car deaths. Solutions like those implemented in Italy can help prevent these tragedies. We must harness the technology that is rapidly advancing to protect our children, who are amongst us at their most vulnerable.
While we wait for further policy changes around the world, this new Italian law is a great example of how modern solutions can be used to solve old, tragic problems. We can prevent tragic deaths by using alarms, raising awareness and taking collective responsibility.
We must all be vigilant when it comes to the dangers associated with leaving children unattended in vehicles. We can help prevent tragedies such as Forgotten Baby Syndrome by using technology and raising awareness globally.
Italy Has Introduced a Strict New Law on Car Seats.
The worst thing that can happen to parents is accidentally leaving their baby in the car’s backseat.
Most of us think it is just a bad dream. It’s a reality.
Are Alarm Car Seats the Solution?
The law was introduced after several incidents of parents leaving their children in vehicles, or ‘forgotten babies syndrome’. The seats must have visual and audible signals visible both inside and outside the vehicle, according to The Telegraph.
All children aged under four are required to have car seat alarms.
Parents can either buy a new seat for around EUR100 (about $160) or an alarm attachment. New seats are equipped with a motion detector that activates flashing lights and an alarm if the child is left in the vehicle alone. The notification can be sent directly to the mobile phone.
Parents who fail to install a new alarm face fines of up to EUR326 ($523) as well as five points deducted from their license. If you commit a second offense within two years, your driver’s licence will be suspended for two weeks.
It Can Happen to Anyone
In Australia, Kidsafe states that every year more than 5,000 unattended children are rescued from cars.
Sara Murphy, a mum from Australia, told News.com.au that she was unaware she had left her 11-month-old daughter in the car when she picked up her child at school.
She didn’t realize until she got back in the car.
She said, “I saw her waving and smiling at her brother through the window – I felt the air rush out of my lungs.”
Sarah said that while she was fortunate to have been in school for only 10 minutes on a cool, sunny day, it could happen to anyone.
Sarah said, “Nobody wants to believe that it could happen to them.” But it could happen to anyone. “It only takes a moment’s distraction.”
New Laws: The Solution?
It may be possible to introduce new laws similar to those of Italy in Australia. However, as the heat rises, parents should take steps now to protect themselves and their children.
Janette Fennell is the president and founder of KidsAndCars.org. She told ABC News that parents should implement strategies to prevent this from happening to them.
She suggests leaving your handbag or purse in the backseat, having daycare call you if they haven’t seen you, or simply checking the backseat before locking your car.
The biggest mistake parents make is to think that this will never happen to them.
