We’d missed the HOT CARS Act when it was introduced last summer, but in case you didn’t know, this is National Heatstroke Prevention Day, and at least one of the bill’s sponsors is reminding her colleagues that the legislation is still sitting there.
I encourage my colleagues to join me as cosponsors of the HOT CARS Act and hope that we can move it forward and enshrine it into law as soon as possible. Children are dying preventable deaths – we cannot afford to wait. https://t.co/Fh3TrlcA46
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) July 31, 2018
Thank you @RepTimRyan, @janschakowsky & @RepPeteKing for sponsoring the HOT CARS Act (H.R. 2801). This commonsense legislation would address the tragic but solvable problem of hot car deaths by requiring cars to have alerts reminding drivers to #CheckForBaby
— Advocates (@SafeRoadsNow) July 31, 2018
Because no law, it seems, can be passed without a ridiculous acronym (see the PATRIOT Act), HOT CARS stands for “Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats.” The law would “require that all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds be equipped with a system for rear seating positions to alert (by an auditory and visual alert that may be combined with a haptic alert) the motor vehicle operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle motor is deactivated.”
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In other words, new cars would have to remind the driver to check the back seat for any children. Considering all the things cars do already, we’re kind of surprised no one that we know has implemented this yet.
At the risk of sounding pro-heatstroke, is it that tough to remember if you have a baby in the back seat? Did we really need a #CheckForBaby hashtag? Sadly, we do apparently.
If you just can’t seem to remember important things, here’s a tip:
Put one of your child's toys in the front seat as a reminder to not leave your baby in the car. #Lookbeforeyoulock #Checkforbaby pic.twitter.com/PvsHkeGizw
— Oklahoma Health Care Authority (@ok_hca) July 31, 2018
Like we said, the bill’s been sitting there for over a year with no action being taken — so in the meantime, don’t lock your little ones in the car when it’s really hot, OK? Dogs too.
Always take an extra minute to check the back seat before exiting your vehicle – it could save your baby's life and you from a lifetime of regret. #CheckForBaby #HeatstrokeKills pic.twitter.com/Wl16De5oQy
— NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) July 31, 2018
Don’t mind your own business. Don’t turn the other way. Don’t keep your mouth shut. And don’t assume someone will be “right back.” Always, take action if you see a child alone in a vehicle. #HeatstrokeKills #CheckForBaby pic.twitter.com/RPV6aiPrtV
— NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) July 31, 2018
Baby on board? Keep your little one safe by always remembering to #CheckForBaby. #HeatstrokeKills pic.twitter.com/bgFKv3hb64
— NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) July 31, 2018
This is sad that we have to have reminders for stuff like this on our way to Tennessee we saw so many signs reminding parents to “look before u lock” #CheckForBaby
— ?Nikki R.? (@CollegeShawty12) July 31, 2018
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