With New Technology Comes New Ways to Die

Since 2005, 37 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning have been attributed to vehicles with keyless ignitions that were inadvertently left running. Automatic engine shutoff is not currently mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, so manufacturer’s application of the technology is sporadic. But the PARK IT Act wants to change that.

As reported by the Detroit Free Press, many vehicles with keyless ignition have the ability to be left running indefinitely, even if the key fob has left the vehicle. “Auto safety experts say it’s an ongoing problem. They want legislation mandating that automakers install automatic engine shutoffs — along with software that would make a car immobile if a driver left it in gear.”

“In February, a proposed law dubbed the PARK IT Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate. A House version was introduced June 6. The name stands for Protecting Americans from the Risk of Keyless Technology. It seeks the following:

• That automakers be required to provide an automatic shutoff for keyless internal combustion engines when the car has been idling for a designated period of time.
• That carmakers add an anti-rollaway feature to immobilize a car if a driver exits it, but leaves it in gear.
• It mandates that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issue rules within two years of the law’s passage.”

Part of the issue is that keyless ignitions don’t work like a physical key. There is not an ignition interlock that’s broken if the key leaves the vehicle. The Start/Stop button is still what controls the ignition so, without an automatic shutoff strategy, the vehicle could continue running until it runs out of fuel. Add in the fact that many cars can idle whisper-quietly, and you could envision how someone could be in a hurry — with hands full — forgetting to turn off the car. If that happened in a closed garage that’s attached to a home, the occupants could be in real danger.

It’s not that the automakers are ignorant to the fact that their vehicles can remain running after the driver leaves with the key. There are a variety of beeps, chimes, and messages that are used to notify a driver that they left the vehicle running. According to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers spokesman Wade Newton, the Society of Automotive Engineers have recommended practices that are followed by current designs and operations. However, these focus on consumer understanding of the systems and acting responsibly, rather than leaning upon preventative strategies.

Auto engine shutoff should not be terribly difficult or expensive to implement, as the vehicle already knows when the key has left the range of its interior. It would require a glorified timer to be implemented to automatically turn off the engine after a predetermined period. How long that should be would likely fall between the length of time that an engine could be kept running for practical purposes and how long it would take to put someone near the vehicle at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

The only useful purpose I could see for not implementing an automatic engine shutoff would be if someone wanted to leave A/C or heat running for an occupant while they left the car. We all know the dangers of leaving pets and children in hot cars. It would be tragic if someone didn’t realize that their car would shut itself down and this led to a death.

They key for the consumer may be to know your vehicle. Unfortunately, modern vehicles have become so complex that it takes a relatively studious mind to become intimately familiar with them. Driving a new or unfamiliar car would reset this learning curve, as there is not yet a universal standard among all manufacturers for keyless ignition functions.

Auto engine shutoff, in some version, is offered on most cars from Ford, GM, and FCA. Toyota Motor North America announced last week that it will add automatic engine shutoff and automatic park technology to its 2020 model year lineup. It would be beneficial if a standard was created to commonize the strategies among all carmakers’ keyless ignition vehicles and the PARK IT Act seems to me like a step in the right direction.

[Images: Toyota; Buick]