If you or anyone you care about drives a car with a keyless ignition, this warning is for you. The appeal of being able to start your engine with the push of a button is undeniable. No more digging around for your keys every time you get into the vehicle. One less frustration as you go through your busy day. But there is a deadly danger that comes with the convenience. Drivers often walk away from the vehicle, leaving it running without realizing it. When this happens inside an attached garage, carbon monoxide CO can seep into the house, poisoning and killing the people inside.
Inadequate Warning System
Some newer models of vehicles with keyless ignitions have an automatic shut-off feature, so the car turns itself off after the fob has been out of the vehicle for a certain amount of time. Some vehicles with keyless ignitions make a loud noise, such as beeping the horn, to alert drivers who exit the vehicle while it is still running.
Unfortunately, far too many only have an alert that sounds inside of the vehicle. If that was an effective warning system, no one would wind up with a dead battery because they accidentally left their headlights on.
Hybrids Are Especially Dangerous
In hybrids the danger of CO poisoning is even greater because the engine may not even be running when the driver gets out of the vehicle, but after the power runs down the engine can kick on all on its own.
The danger of keyless ignitions is not hypothetical. At least 13 people have died so far. Those who survive CO poisoning can suffer permanent injuries and disability.
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