Keyless ignition is one of those welcome advances in auto design that are easy to appreciate. No more fumbling for the key, no more dropping it in a gutter, no more trying to slip it into the ignition in the dark. Just open the door, get in, and punch the button. The fob never has to leave your purse or pocket.
But the convenience carries a danger that is easy to overlook. With quiet modern engines, it's not hard to forget to shut the car off when you park it and walk away none the wiser. This is risky if the vehicle is on the street or in a parking lot. But it can be deadly in a garage.
Since 2006, an investigation by The New York Times found, 28 people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a keyless-ignition vehicle was mistakenly left idling in a garage attached to a house. Another 45 have been injured, some of them with brain damage. The odorless, invisible gas fills the home and the occupants are overcome, often as they sleep.
More than half of the 17 million new cars and light trucks sold each year in this country have this feature. The danger has long been apparent: In 2011, the Society of Automotive Engineers recommended that these vehicles give off beeps or honks to alert drivers when they get out and leave a car running-and even to shut the car off after, say, 30 minutes.
That same year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a rule to protect against this hazard, but it was not adopted.
It could be solved voluntarily-and if auto companies are smart, it will be. Aside from the prospect of a federal mandate, they also face potential legal trouble. In 2016, a judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit over such deaths, but it's safe to bet the industry has not heard the last from plaintiffs' attorneys.
This is a flaw in the technology that creates a grave peril. Carmakers should waste no time acting, because their customers' lives are at stake.
Chicago Tribune