Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Linked to Keyless Ignition Fobs
February 22, 2011 2 Comments
It seems that the driving public now has another problem to worry about. You know those cars that don’t have a key anymore and all you have to do is push a button to start the engines? Well, those same cars that have keyless ignitions are now being blamed for at least 3 deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning. If you’ve come across the story, you know that one of the deaths occurred in New York and the other two in Florida. In each case the drivers did not shut off their engines after arriving home and parking their cars in their garages. Now, how in the world does this happen? Apparently, the keyless ignition (called a fob) is supposed to shut off the engines after a specified time period of inactivity. But, the engines did not shut down and the homes filled with carbon monoxide killing three people and seriously injuring a fourth person. Should the drivers have been responsible for shutting down their engines? Are these deaths the direct result of negligence on the part of the drivers? Certainly, drivers are responsible for the operation of their vehicles. But what happens when that responsibility is taken away from them? What happens when you’re supposed to rely on some gadget to do what it’s supposed to do in order to keep you safe? Think about it for a minute. The auto makers want us to believe that their cars are safe. Their ads tell us that for the sake of convenience, safety, or whatever reason, we should trust what we are told and place our lives in their hands. So, how does someone forget to shut down their engine? Answer: they depend on their keyless fob to do its job.