With New Technology Comes New Ways to Die

Anthony Magagnoli
by Anthony Magagnoli

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]

Anthony Magagnoli
Anthony Magagnoli

Following 10 years in Toyota's Production Engineering division, Anthony spent 3 years as a Vehicle Dynamics Engineer for FCA. From modest beginnings in autocross, he won a NASA SpecE30 National Championship and was the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge TC Rookie of the Year. Aside from being a professional racecar driver, he is a private driving coach and future karaoke champion.

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  • Hummer Hummer on Jun 20, 2019

    Just require exhausts to be louder, I love listening to the sweet sound of an LS3, everyone can tell if my car is on or off stock from the factory.

  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Jun 20, 2019

    I said it before and I am saying that again - ICE vehicles are evil and out there on mission to kill us humans. Congress has to address this problem with urgency once and for all and outlaw ICE vehicles in coming years. EVs thanks to Tesla become a practical alternatives and if we outlaw ICE EV infrastructure will quickly develop because there would be no other alternative. Outlawing ICE vehicles solves so many problems on so many levels that it is not even funny how we tolerated such a horrible piece of technology for so long.

  • FreedMike Off topic, but folks, this site is not working well for me from a technical standpoint, and it doesn't matter if I'm using my phone, or my computer (on two different browsers). It locks up and makes it impossible to type anything in after a certain point. Anyone else having these issues?
  • Syke Kinda liked the '57, hated the '58. Then again, I hated the entire '58 GM line except for the Chevrolet. Which I liked better than the '57's. Still remember dad's '58 Impala hardtop, in the silver blue that was used as the main advertising color.
  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • Ravenuer The rear view of the Eldo coupe makes it look fat!
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
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