Dangers of keyless ignition systems and carbon monoxide

A feature that is often touted to sell new cars to people in South Carolina is a keyless ignition system. While these systems are popular, they also bring hidden dangers about which people should be aware. Unlike keyed ignition systems, keyless systems do not automatically shut off the car when a person leaves the vehicle.

According to reports, multiple people have died across the country due to the problem of keyless ignition system vehicles left running in garages. In these cases, people have forgotten the car was running, allowing the carbon monoxide to build up and seep into their homes. Several lawsuits have been filed against the companies manufacturing the cars, alleging that they knew or should have known about the danger but did little to fix it.

Sen. Bob Casey is now pushing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require the manufacturers to fix the problem. Reportedly, the fix could be as simple as updating the software that controls the keyless systems. Although the agency acknowledged the danger as far back as December 2011, it has done little to address it.

People who have cars with keyless ignition systems need to take care to make certain they are not left running when they get out of the vehicles. If a person has died because of this problem, the surviving family members may want to speak with a personal injury attorney who has experience in wrongful death litigation. Similar to personal injury lawsuits, a wrongful death action is predicated upon the negligence of another person or entity. There are certain types of damages that can be sought under a particular state’s wrongful death statute that the attorney can explain.