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Deadly Convenience: Keyless Cars and Their Carbon Monoxide Toll
NY Times ^ | 13 May 2018 | David Jeans and Majlie De Puy Kamp

Posted on 05/13/2018 8:55:26 AM PDT by oh8eleven

On a summer morning last year, Fred Schaub drove his Toyota RAV4 into the garage attached to his Florida home and went into the house with the wireless key fob, evidently believing the car was shut off. Twenty-nine hours later, he was found dead, overcome with carbon monoxide that flooded his home while he slept.

“After 75 years of driving, my father thought that when he took the key with him when he left the car, the car would be off,” said Mr. Schaub’s son Doug.

Mr. Schaub is among more than two dozen people killed by carbon monoxide nationwide since 2006 after a keyless-ignition vehicle was inadvertently left running in a garage. Dozens of others have been injured, some left with brain damage.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: autosafety; keylessignition
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To: Spktyr

” you can easily tell the car is shut off”

No, you cannot and the dash does not. That’s my point.

BMW has a dash that stays on when the door opens and the car is turned off or stopped. My Dodge Ram truck does the same thing. The difference between ignition off, accessory on, and engine on, is negligible. Granted, its a Hemi, so I know the engine is on and the RPM gauge is showing engine activity, but other that that the dash isn’t obviously as to the state of the engine.


61 posted on 05/13/2018 9:57:59 AM PDT by CodeToad (The Democrats haven't been this pissed off since the Republicans took their slaves away.)
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To: Jim from C-Town
Anyone that has a garage. Where are people supposed to park their cars? I don't understand why it is so convenient not to use a key.

They probably make them for people who have issues with complex objects like a key.

62 posted on 05/13/2018 10:01:03 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: oh8eleven

Most people have cars with keys. The habit has been formed: take the key with you when you leave the car. Your house keys are on the same ring. Taking the key out of the ignition shuts off the car.

Millions of people have that habit. I know that. The designers of keyless cars knew that, but are fundamentally unable to allow themselves to be conscious of that thought because it’s not part of their job. Anyone who dared to speak up (that would have been me) saying “Hey, people are going to leave the car running,... etc” would have been consigned to the dustbin of history.

That’s how things are designed, with no attention paid to the inevitable consequences, whether caused directly, or only incidental. Objections are suppressed.

But that doesn’t mean the manufacturer should be sued for this. Any more than it would make sense to sue the manufacturer of baby car seats when the parent leaves the kid in the car and goes off.

Surely, the people who designed the diabolical buzzers and ignition lock for non-use of seatbelts are still alive, and perhaps can help design a system to shut the damned car off if it idles too long, and/or to emit a loud beep when the driver goes away with the damned keyless key.


63 posted on 05/13/2018 10:01:23 AM PDT by I want the USA back (*slam is a political ideology that hides behind the mask of a religion.)
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To: Spktyr
What kind of idiot parks a car, ANY car, without making sure it is shut down?

Well… you might do things with 100% perfection all the time but for the rest of us, we are only batting 0.999 repeater which apparently isn’t good enough. This has nothing to do with being an idiot or a moron, this simply has to do with probability that once in a rare while, this sort of event can occur. There may be extenuating circumstances for sure… most of which are already mentioned here and include the fact some of these cars now operate quite silently and if the radio was playing, the car’s engine simply might not be heard.

Suggestion for all… While everyone puts smoke and CO alarms close to bedrooms, it’s just as important to put alarms in the garage. It wasn’t because of keyless cars that I did it but it’s a good idea nevertheless and would have prevented this CO fatality. I wanted all the alarms in the garage in the garage first since there is a lot of work that goes on there and the last thing I want is for something to combust and turn into a roaring blaze while isolated from the house. And select alarms that talk to the other alarms in the house. That means that an alarm in the garage would have triggered the other ones in the house as well.

64 posted on 05/13/2018 10:01:49 AM PDT by hecticskeptic
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To: Ikeon

“Ill cruise by because 30 mpg /4 doors/ a quiet ride is all I need. “

I have the same as his and get 27 on the highway. I gladly give up 3 mpg for the increased ability to pass traffic and to merge into interstate traffic.


65 posted on 05/13/2018 10:02:27 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: aquila48
“I’m surprised they don’t have a safety time out, something like, if the engine has been on for more than a few minutes without a person sitting in the driver seat to shut itself off.” One of my daughters drives a 2012 Hyundai Sonata and I went out and started it for her one frosty morning. Came back in the house and forgot to take the fob out of my pocket. Shortly thereafter she got in the car and drove to work. Then, I got a phone call from her that afternoon wanting to know if I had her fob - which indeed I did. Had to take it to her so she could start her car and come home 😏....
66 posted on 05/13/2018 10:02:45 AM PDT by snoringbear (W,E.oGovernment is the Pimp,)
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To: Spktyr

Lay off the booze. It is Mothers Day.


67 posted on 05/13/2018 10:04:19 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: BobL

I do, but then I have an older home with a detached garage, some distance from the house. It wouldn’t be a good thing if I left it running, nonetheless, but so far it hasn’t hapoened.


68 posted on 05/13/2018 10:05:45 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia (Democrats: The perfect party for the helpless and stupid, and those who would rule over them.)
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To: Spktyr; BobL

I see now my comment had an earlier source and should have been directed to Bob....


69 posted on 05/13/2018 10:06:59 AM PDT by hecticskeptic
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To: snoringbear

Drove my wife to the mall and dropped her off. The fob was in her purse.


70 posted on 05/13/2018 10:07:45 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: snoringbear

Good thing their wasn’t a timeout feature.


71 posted on 05/13/2018 10:11:18 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: TexasGator
Psst, my daily driver is a *MOTORCYCLE* - which easily hits all those specs.

No alcohol consumption is required. Bikes *do* make those numbers.

72 posted on 05/13/2018 10:12:19 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: oh8eleven
My youngest son's truck's security key fob has a remote start button. I found out real quick not to put his keys in my pocket. I had his truck remote start on me several times.

I was keeping my oldest son's truck for him. A while back someone tried to break into it and messed up the lock cylinder in the door. Nice of Chevy to only give you one in the Driver's door. So he was using the security key fob to unlock his truck.

Well one day I tried to unlock the truck. No joy. I checked the battery in the remote. Still good. Couldn't pop the hood to charge the battery, so I had to charge the battery via the starter solenoid connection.

73 posted on 05/13/2018 10:14:44 AM PDT by Elderberry
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To: snoringbear; entropy12

Just a hint of what’s ahead as more mindless “convenience” is badly programmed into things.


74 posted on 05/13/2018 10:15:07 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: CodeToad

What year is the Ram and BMW? Because the 2014-2017 Rams I’ve driven clearly have a visible difference on their dash between when the truck is running and the truck is off.


75 posted on 05/13/2018 10:17:14 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: entropy12

No, but old geezers are likely to be hard of hearing!


Just how old is a old geezer? Who are you calling hard of hearing? Eh? Speak up, sonny!


76 posted on 05/13/2018 10:19:47 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Drew68; SamAdams76

No. No. No.

Now, prior to starting, we depress and release the throttle pedal to set the AUTOMATIC choke!!!

We’re evolving. .....


77 posted on 05/13/2018 10:22:55 AM PDT by MountainDad (A strong man stands up for himself. A stronger man stands up for others. Support your local militia.)
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To: CodeToad

” The difference between ignition off, accessory on, and engine on, is negligible.”

When the engine is off I have a big center display telling me to start the car OR I am in IGN/ACC mode.

Also, after shutting the car off the radio plays but now I have to habit of noting that it shuts off when I open the door to get out.


78 posted on 05/13/2018 10:23:14 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: aquila48
Just a hint of what’s ahead as more mindless “convenience”

That about sums up most of the latest whizzbang crap they push.

79 posted on 05/13/2018 10:25:29 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: oh8eleven

The law here mandates CO sensors


80 posted on 05/13/2018 10:30:47 AM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guvmint you get is the Trump winning express !)
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