At high temperatures, the risk is particularly great: if a child remains in a locked car for too long, health damage can occur, which can even lead to death. Babies and small children are particularly at risk, as they cannot regulate their body temperature themselves or free themselves from the vehicle. To prevent such incidents, more and more cars are equipped with so-called Child Presence Detection systems (CPD). These systems detect whether a child or a dog is still in the parked car and send various signals to alert vehicle owners or passers-by.
To protect children and dogs.
A study by the German mobility club ADAC has now examined the different systems and tested their effectiveness. Test subjects included a dummy of a newborn in a rear-facing baby seat and a dummy of a one-year-old child in a forward-facing child seat. It was also investigated whether the systems could detect a dog in the back seat. CPDs include indirect and direct systems. Indirect systems evaluate information from vehicle operation, such as whether the back seat was occupied or the rear door was opened. Based on this information, they remind the driver to check the back seat. Direct measuring systems use sensors inside the vehicle to detect movements, including the breathing movements of sleeping children.
Weaknesses in detecting newborns
In three of the four vehicles examined, direct CPDs are used, and they work reliably. All detected the dummy of the one-year-old child. The indirect system can only remind of possible occupancy based on certain vehicle conditions. Detecting the newborn dummy in the rear-facing seat was more demanding. None of the direct systems could reliably detect the dummy. Detection worked better when the seat was secured with the vehicle belt rather than with an Isofix attachment. Possibly, the low breathing and self-movements of a newborn are a cause of the detection difficulties. The examination fundamentally showed that the systems have good protection potential. However, the variety of different passenger and seat configurations remains a technical challenge.
Varied warning signals
There are also differences in the reactions of the CPDs. Some systems are limited to an indication on the vehicle display. Others go further and additionally activate hazard lights, horn, or alarm functions. Sometimes, smartphone notifications are sent, or information for passers-by is displayed directly on the vehicle's display. Some systems also use existing vehicle functions such as parking air conditioning to keep the interior temperature as low as possible and thereby gain additional time until help arrives.
The study shows that Child Presence Detection systems have great potential to prevent tragic accidents with children in parked cars. However, it is clear that technical systems can never replace the responsibility of caregivers. TCS advises that children should never—and not even for a few minutes—be left unattended in the vehicle. Even at moderate outside temperatures, the interior can heat up to life-threatening levels for children and animals within a short time. It is also advisable to briefly ventilate before getting in. Furthermore, the difference between an air-conditioned interior and the outside temperature should not exceed six degrees. Larger temperature differences can burden the organism and, for example, lead to a cold.
Press Contact:
Marco Wölfli, TCS Media Spokesperson
Tel. 058 827 34 03marco.woelfli@tcs.ch