 | Home > Off Topic > Hidden Dangers of Push-Button Start |
 
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018   
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Following on from the automation discussion, I was shocked to read this:
"In a striking example of the law of unintended consequences, a popular automotive convenience feature, push-button start, can lead to accidental death from carbon-monoxide poisoning. A simple technical fix—an attention-grabbing warning audible from outside the car—could head off the problem before it happens. In cars that have keyless, push-button ignition, an electronic key fob is recognized by the car to authorize driving and the use of power accessories. That fob can conveniently remain in the driver’s pocket or purse, as the ignition switch itself is just a button on the dash. Danger can arise, though, if a driver inadvertently leaves the car running when exiting the vehicle—an easy thing to do intentionally or accidentally. Even if you take the key fob with you, the engine can keep idling. If the car is parked in a closed garage attached to a house, especially a basement-level garage, carbon monoxide fumes from the idling engine may seep into the living area, possibly harming anyone in the house. A subset of keyless-ignition cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids, pose an even stealthier problem, because they are virtually silent when in electric mode, which they may well be when sitting still after parking. A driver doesn’t have to be absent-minded to assume that the car is shut down—after all, the engine isn’t running. But the car may not be truly off. The engine could restart itself, say to address a climate control need, potentially sending carbon monoxide into the residence. News reports have linked more than a dozen carbon-monoxide deaths to keyless ignitions, and a number of lawsuits have been filed against automakers including a potential class action suit against the 10 largest automakers, filed in late August. That suit, brought in California, alleges that automakers have known about this issue for years but ignored it. However, many vehicles already try to warn someone that they’ve left the car running. They sound either an external chime or a chirp of the horn, if drivers leave the engine idling and walk away with the electronic fob. A quick scan of our current test-car fleet turned up both kinds of signals, chimes and horn chirps, and some cars that remain quiet." Guess which group JLR are in? http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/hi...-start.htm |
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15th Sep 2015 8:10am |
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| PDH Member Since: 03 Dec 2009 Location: Shropshire Posts: 179 
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I'd hope they're in the common sense category of "if you're stupid enough not to realise you've left your engine running then maybe it's best for the future of the human race if you don't survive" category.
You can tell this is for litigation happy America........the land that rewards stupidity  Puma 2.2 90 Stationwagon |
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15th Sep 2015 8:52am |
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| Go Beyond Member Since: 30 Jan 2012 Location: Headcorn, Kent Posts: 6678
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My 2a is push button start ......
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15th Sep 2015 9:16am |
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| Avion8 Member Since: 26 Jan 2015 Location: Perth Posts: 281  
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So is my Series 1 107".
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15th Sep 2015 10:15am |
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| Browny90 Member Since: 20 Jul 2015 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 183 
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My 90 is more of a push start than push button start..
Surely a very easy fix.. Just an audible warning when you open the drivers door with anything switched on, just like happens on nearly every car these days if you try and exit with the lights on? I would have thought this would already be the case.. Although I was shocked recently when I rented a car in Ibiza with push button start and I left the car with the mrs & kids inside while I checked ferry times, I must have been gone for at least 20 minutes and about 200m away from the car, surely a timed cut out and/or key proximity cut out should be fitted? seems like a security risk more than anything.. As for common sense, you would hope that it would kick in, but that could be said for lots of things, people are just thick and lazy which is why we have automatic headlights/ wipers etc etc. I'll stick to my 90, where I have to actually insert a key and turn it (really not that much effort)  My 1986 90 is currently on a full rebuild, with new chassis, Paint etc.. Very much a hybrid, TD5 Chassis, tub & bulkhead with a 200TDI and LT77 GB Painted in Stornoway Grey  2 years off the road, but getting close to completion now |
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15th Sep 2015 10:25am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17445 
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Rather than "trying to warn the driver" that he's a moron who's walked off leaving the car active using chirps, etc., why doesn't the car just shut itself down completely? What possible reason could there be for not doing this?
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15th Sep 2015 9:01pm |
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018
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Quoting the article:
"NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), however, raised a concern about making such a system mandatory in proposed rule documentation filed with the Federal Register: “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.” |
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16th Sep 2015 8:20am |
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