HOT CARS Act of 2016 Introduced
This past year proved to be a significant year in terms of moving closer to a technological solution to prevent vehicular heatstroke.
KidsAndCars.org is contacted weekly about new inventions being proposed and coming to market that could serve to prevent a child from being unknowingly left in a hot vehicle. Many of the inventors are individuals who saw a news story about a child dying of heatstroke and decided to do something about it by inventing a device to prevent such needless deaths.
Child vehicular heatstroke deaths spiked last year from 25 in 2015 to 39 in 2016, a 56% increase.
One extremely important highlight of 2016 was the introduction of "
The HOT CARS Act*" in the House of Representatives. The HOT CARS Act of 2016 is crucial in helping eliminate these unthinkable tragedies.
This bipartisan bill "directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule to require all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with technology to alert (auditory or visual signal [or both]) that a child or unattended passenger remains in a rear seating position after the vehicle motor is deactivated. DOT shall issue a report to Congress on the feasibility of retrofitting existing passenger motor vehicles with such technology" as well.
KidsAndCars.org will be re-introducing the bill in 2017 and actively work with our advocate families and YOU to ensure that members of Congress sign on as co-sponsors and get this bill turned into law. Please reach out to us if you'd like to learn how you could get your member of Congress to sign on as a co-sponsor.
|
|
Lifesavers 2016, Long Beach
Headed to Charlotte, NC in March 2017
Below are a few highlights from the 2016 conference....
Don't forget to stop by and say 'hi' to KidsAndCars.org at the Lifesavers Conference this March 2017 in Charlotte, NC. KidsAndCars.org will be hosting a special reception and airing the award winning documentary "To the Moon and Back" on Sunday evening (3/26). This is a special event you won't want to miss!
|
Green Cross Safety
Award Finalist
KidsAndCars.org's President and Founder, Janette Fennell, was one of three finalists for the
National Safety Council's prestigious Green Cross for Safety Award this year.
The award is given to individuals and organizations that have helped save lives and prevent injuries.
Way to go Janette!
|
'Look Before You Lock' Program Going Strong
Thanks to the generous support of Toyota, KidsAndCars.org has provided more than 755,500 "Look Before You Lock" parent education cards to more than 700 hospital birthing centers and other parent programs nationwide.
Our goal is to encourage parents to place their belongings in the back seat and get into the habit of always opening the back car door to look in the back seat before locking the car. Thanks also to PetSmart for the generous contributions of Lucky and Chance stuffed animals that are also given to many new parents. (see photos)
|
Blindzone Awareness Program in Greater Kansas City Area
Thanks to a very generous grant from
State Farm, KidsAndCars.org launched the Blindzone Awareness Kit (BAK) pilot program in the Greater Kansas City area in 2015. The goal is to educate the public about the dangers of vehicle blindzones
, and what can be done to keep children (and adults) safe in and around vehicles.
Each BAK comes with everything needed to do a
hands-on blindzone demonstration with any vehicle, plus a binder with print materials, videos, charts, graphics, posters and electronic files. Another feature of these innovative kits is that they can be used again and again to educate countless drivers.
KidsAndCars.org is
providing BAKs to local companies and agencies that have employees driving in the community on a regular basis, such as utility companies, city public works departments, law enforcement, home-maintenance businesses, child passenger safety techs and parent education programs. We have learned that backing crashes account for a disproportionate number of workplace vehicle accidents.
KidsAndCars.org has presented and performed blindzone demonstrations at employee safety training courses, trained supervisors to educate their teams, worked with local media, exhibited at local conferences, etc.
Participants have been excited to receive the BAK materials, and eager to use them to show employees firsthand how little can be seen behind vehicles due to blindzones. Below are a few pictures of our enthusiastic program participants.
For more information on the program, you may contact Amber@KidsAndCars.org.
|
Cars Stolen with Children Alone in the Backseat
A totally preventable problem
In 2016 at least 129 cars were stolen with children who had been left alone in the back seat. Nobody ever thinks this could happen to them, but the solution is quite simple... never leave a child alone in a vehicle, not even for a minute!
These horrifying incidents happen in gas station parking lots and even in the driveway of victim's homes. They happen in even the safest neighborhoods. It only takes a split second for a thief to jump into the driver's seat and take off. Most of the time, they have no idea there is a child strapped into the back seat until after they have already stolen the vehicle. The child is then abandoned either in the stolen vehicle or dumped on the side of the road somewhere to face an entirely new set of dangers.
Would you leave a million dollars in your car? No? Then please, don't leave your children.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately and stay with the vehicle until authorities arrive. Remember, a seemingly harmless situation can turn very dangerous in a matter of seconds.
|
The KidsAndCars.org team works all year keeping child vehicle safety on the national agenda through national and local media. KidsAndCars.org is frequently sought out as the authority on issues involving children and vehicles.
Below are a few examples;
(Editorial published on Time.com, July 29, 2016)
Who would leave a child in a hot car on purpose? An accident or murder. You decide.
(June 20, 2016, Dr. David Diamond)
John Cichowski, The Road Warrior, December 9, 2016
|
Major Sponsors:
Adam Fennell family
State Farm
Toys R Us
Toyota
Monthly Donors:
Susan Auriemma, Matthew Foldi, Kristyn Ingram, Mallory Martinez, Susan Pepperdine, Stephanie Salvilla
Quarterly Donors:
Olea Sensor Networks, Loretta Raiford, Catherine Rodriguez,
Donors $1,000+ in 2016:
Alan Gregson, Frederick Morgan, Murphy Family, Nelson Family, Tetor family,
Rearview Safety Inc.
A special thank you to Claris Law for helping to re-launch and manage our website
Donors $100 -$500 in 2016:
Bayers Family, Alicia Bayers, Gerald Belmonte, Deanna and Jeff Burns, Karena Caputo, Mary Celeste, Virginia Cullen, Lou DiSerafino, Bruce and Terry Dittmer, Mark Flemming, Victoria Fox, Dalyce Franz, Karen Gruen, Deborah Hubbard, Deannie and Leland Jacobson, Tamsey Johnson, Kimberly Kinard, Jan Kowal, Conni Lowe, Kathleen Lunbeck, Marcia Luisi, Irene Marks, Marks Family, Scott McDonald, Mary Parks, Susan Pepperdine, Elisabetta Phelps, Maria-Theresia Pio, Kristina Poduch, Martha Porter, Loretta Raiford, Margie & Ray Rollins, Jack Rosenfeld, Paige Singleton, Susan Speroff, Ellen Taliaferro, Sheila Taylor, Robyn Waldron, Melinda Spooner-Wyman, Douglas Young, Jennifer Young
Donors up to $100 in 2016:
Jack Aezen, Cheryll Bennett, William Berde, Heather Bjella, Bonnie Boehl, Nikki Boehl, Bill Bronrott, Lisa Cavin-Wainscott, Linda Chavez, Krista Ching, Dennis Clark, Carolyn Cohen, Linda Coneau, Roberta Conner, James Conover, Ellen Corman, Lorna Davis, Marianne Davis, Sally Davisson, Jen Dragone, Amber Duncan, Michael Fanelli, Jess Fanfarillo, Lisa Fiedler, Patricia Fifer, Michell Fuentes, Stacie Giesecke, Sally Greenberg, Savannah Hancock, Christine Harrison, Anna Hurst, Laura Jacobsen, Nathan Jolles, Gary Kleeman, Don Kuntze, Rongsheng Lee, Jenni Levora, Sarah Lindsay, Stephanie Lopez, Carol MacDonald, Colleen Martindale, Mallory Martinez, Shannon McAdams, Paula McGee, Malinda Mehlhaff, Susanne Meyer, Sondra Morgan, Roger Motzkus, John Nash, Sheila Nayampalli, Shannon Numkena, Krista Olson, Julia Pabis, Rhonda Parker, Laura Parker, Susan Pepperdine, Melissa Perez, Sylvia Perez, Lori Phillips, Brian Pio, Shirin Pope, Robert Pszybylski, Errol and Paula Rafal, Katherine Rollins, Manda Salls, Katie Sample, Emmy Sasala, Sue Simmons, Beth Singleton, Judith Lee Stone, Johannes Strobel, Michelle & Eric Stuyvesant, Aaron Tippetts, Tyler Viste, Adam Vogels, Robyn Waldron, Jamie Wilson, Jennifer Young, Safe Ride 4 Kids, Sutton Family, Charmaine Redd
|
|
|
|
|
|
