This Mother Almost Lost Her Child Because She Didn’t Push This Button In Her Car

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Keyless-ignition vehicles may be convenient, but one Florida mother nearly lost her son because of this potentially deadly feature.

Mom Constance Petot recently parked her keyless-ignition car in her garage and then forgot to push the button to shut off the ignition. Instead, she went inside her home with the car still running. Toxic fumes quickly filled the garage and then began leaking into her home.

“To see my son in my arms, passed out from the lack of oxygen was a moment that I would never wish on anyone,” Petot told NBC News.

Petot and her 13-month-old son, Parker, thankfully survived this deadly mistake. Just 20 minutes longer of carbon monoxide poisoning would have likely killed them both. Unfortunately, many others haven’t been so lucky. At least 21 people have died as a result of not pushing their keyless-ignition button to turn off a car, according to KidsAndCars.org. In total, at least 60 U.S. drivers have accidentally left a key-less ignition vehicle running inside a garage.

So how can such a simple oversight be prevented? Obviously, car owners are aware that they should shut off the ignition. But just as having no key makes it easy to turn on the car, this convenience makes it equally as easy to leave it on.

Many safety advocates believe car makers should install an automatic shutoff device in keyless-ignition vehicles. Chevrolet and Ford, for example, already have automatic shutoff features on some of their vehicles. Other car makers have opted to install audible alerts in certain models.

Making sure to have carbon monoxide detectors in your home could be another safeguard for your family. According to HealthyChildren.org, symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include the following:

  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Confusion
  • Fainting

For more information about protecting your family from carbon monoxide poisoning, visit HealthyChildren.org.

7 Comments

  1. Ryan

    May 17, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    This seems like common sense. What about when you need to sit in the car with the air conditioning on? Maybe a safety feature could be helpful but this just seems like common sense. There are a lot of things we need to be aware of as grown adults and if we can’t even remember to turn off our cars before we leave, there’s an underlying problem with distraction or irresponsibility. It’s not the. At makers fault. If you are a licensed driver you are driving a weapon and should be repairable enough to push a button when you’re done.

  2. Rhianna

    May 17, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    @ Ryan – you are incredibly judgmental! Even the most responsible person in the world has an off day where they may be more inclined to become distracted and that doesn’t make someone irresponsible it makes them human, which apparently you are perfect and therefore, not human. Automakers should be made responsible to put safety features in all cars with keyless transmission.

  3. Tayla Przibilla

    September 8, 2016 at 6:00 am

    Samuel Luke Przibilla

  4. Silvana Ioculano Valerio

    September 8, 2016 at 6:51 am

    Stefania Valerio

  5. Esmeralda Garcia Bermejo

    September 8, 2016 at 7:26 am

    Nikki Garcia

  6. Kelly Ramirez

    September 8, 2016 at 7:58 am

    James Roblada

  7. Shelly

    September 8, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    Would the lady have forgotten to turn her car off if it was keyed? Most likely not. I agree that auto makers need to put safety measures in the keyless cars, but also, you’re driving a vehicle… Use common sense. Oh yeah, that no longer exists.

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