Safety advocates and experts are targeting automatic ignition shut off systems as the next automotive safety feature that should be implemented en masse by manufacturers.
A recent article published by The Detroit News told the story of Russel Fish, a 68-year old man that was killed when he accidentally left his vehicle’s engine running in the garage attached to his home. Fish is one of four people to have died in such a manner so far this year and industry experts say it’s all-too-common when the technology exists to prevent such occurrences.
General Motors first implemented a feature called ‘Extended Parking’ in 2013, which shuts a vehicle’s engine off if the key fob is outside of the vehicle for more than one hour while it is left in park. This was done following growing concern over the carbon monoxide risk imposed by keyless ignition systems, which began to crop up in cars, trucks and SUVs in the mid-to-late 2000s. At the time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would not make automatic engine shutoff systems mandatory, as it was difficult to determine a time delay standard.
“There are scenarios, such as leaving pets in the vehicle with the air conditioning or heating system on while the driver shops or is at a restaurant, where an automatic shut off of the propulsion system would have adverse results. It is our understanding that some drivers may stay in their vehicles for hours, for example, to sleep, with the air conditioning or heating system on,” NHTSA said at the time.
Most current GM vehicles with push button starts will shut off after a certain period of time. Additionally, GM vehicles with electronic shift mechanisms will automatically put the transmission into park if the engine is shut off while it is still in reverse or drive, preventing rollaways like the one that killed actor Anton Yelchin.
Toyota, perhaps in response to this growing concerns, announced last week that most of its 2020 model year vehicles will feature automatic ignition shutoff and will automatically shift into park when the engine is shut off. Toyota and Lexus vehicles are often found to be involved in the carbon monoxide related deaths, according to the report.
New Ford vehicles with push button start and electronic shift mechanisms also have these safety features, with Ford implementing them around the same time as GM in 2013.
Source: The Detroit News
Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM safety news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
How about these “safety” experts lobby for better state driver license standards so we can have less dingbats on public roads. Germany is a good model to look at, yes more expensive for the commoner, but they actually take driving more serious since they have higher standards. I know this feature auto shut off feature is simple, I am just getting tired of these statistically irrelevant cases adding more overhead to the industry.
I recommend two options: increase licenses costs, and obligatory re-examination after causing a collision or passing 65 years of age.
at 65 I was still doing track days in my corvette.
I remember when the GM ignition in my Olds Intrigue shut off.
While I was driving.
It was saving you from speeding.
True! Speeding, steering, braking…
I think that you should be able to select how long the car stays running ,depending on your needs. I would like it to shut off as soon as I walked away, if for some reason I forget to shut it off . I never have but it sounds like some people do.
A few years ago I found patents integrated function between the garage door opener and the vehicle. When a Carbon Monoxide was detected, it would open the garage door, open the vehicle windows and trigger an alarm. This was before push button ignition. The story mentions Lexus. A sad story in South Florida around 1999.. Grandpa and grandma had the grandkids and brought them to their home. Grandpa left the dead quite Lexus running and closed the garage door. The parents of the kids went to the house and found everyone to have perished.
No reason why there can’t be a carbon monoxide detector in every vehicle that can easily shut off the engine, open when windows nd the garage door, set off alarms and text everyone on the planet.
Good idea. How about a carbon monoxide detector in the garage that sets the detector inside the house off they are available now.
No!!! Stop fixing this people’s problem!!! Teach them to stop doing this!!! Over engineering cars and trucks to protect the stupid is just plain wrong.
If you cant tell that a car is still running then maybe you dont deserve to be walking around on this planet. Because if you cant something as simple as that figured out then how are we going to trust you with more important complex things in life?
Every home should have a carbon monoxide and smoke detector in working condition.
If you can not figure out that the car that you just parked is still running then you should not be driving a car. If you die because of this stupidity then that is a you problem not a me problem!!!
Making changes for the masses because a couple of morons cant figure it out is ridiculous and it needs to stop.
Teach people how the push button system works and then leave it alone. People then wonder why cars and trucks cost as much as they do. Manufacturers have to redsign parts of the car because people are not competent enough to figure it out!!!
It’s sad that the guy died but it was his own fault, he created the problem and GM should not be forced fix his stupidity.
Must be wonderful to be so perfect.
No, I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But when I make mistakes I own them. And I dont expect changes to be made on my behalf. And I dont expect other people to make changes in their lives because of my mistakes.
A handful of people die and that forces the rest of us (in the millions) to make changes as a result is pathetic.