Could technology save babies forgotten in cars?

On July 17, 2003, Dominic Martin was supposed to drop his 23-month-old daughter Audrey at the babysitter's house near the Lasalle Metro station in Montreal and then drop his wife at work, as he did every day.

But that particular day, Martin's routine slightly changed. He was running late, so he dropped his wife off first.

Martin then made a fatal mistake.

He forgot to drop off Audrey. He parked his car, went to work, and left the little girl asleep in her car seat.

She died in the hot car.

I covered Audrey's funeral for CBC, and I have never forgotten the image of her father carrying her tiny white coffin into the church.

Martin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were eventually dropped. The Crown decided it was a tragic accident.

• 6-month-old boy dies, bringing US toll from hot car deaths to 27 
• Children's Aid Society says people who leave kids in hot cars not always 'problem parents'

A coroner's report into Audrey's death recommended that vehicle manufacturers be compelled to include an alarm that would remind drivers of a child in a car seat each time the motor was turned off.

Nothing came of that recommendation.

Since then, more than 400 children have died of heatstroke in cars in North America, according to the U.S. advocacy group Kids and Cars.

The latest was a baby boy in Saint-Jérôme, Que. on Wednesday, another case of a father who didn't realize he'd forgotten to drop his child at daycare.

Dozens of kids die in hot cars each year

Janette Fennell, the president and founder of Kids and Cars, told CBC on average 37 children each year in North America die in cars due to heatstroke.

Some of those are kids who make their way into unlocked parked cars and can't get out. Others are cases where parents knowingly leave a child unattended in a vehicle for a few minutes while making a stop.

But 55 per cent of the heatstroke deaths in cars are parents who simply forget there's still a child in the back. Almost all of those cases involve children under the age of three left in their car seats.

Fennell said these deaths are preventable.

"All it takes is a gentle reminder: if you're going to walk away and lock the vehicle, a little beep to remind you that there's something very precious that was left alone in the backseat," Fennell said.

"Just like we get a reminder to put our seatbelt on, or that we don't leave our keys in the ignition, or if the door's ajar.  There's so many reminders because obviously the auto industry understands that we're human."

Industry blames parents

Despite that, Fennell said it has been surprisingly hard to convince vehicle manufacturers and lawmakers of the merits of a reminder system in vehicles.

Who decided that it's more important to [not] have a dead car battery than a dead baby?- Janette Fennell, Kids and Cars

"It is truly a lack of understanding on how these things happen. Unfortunately, the auto industry and and others find it more convenient to blame the parents."

Given all the other efforts the industry makes to remind drivers of things they've forgotten, that simply makes no sense, Fennell said.

"You can't buy a car today that doesn't either turn your headlights off for you automatically or reminds you to, because of course no one wants a dead car battery," Fennell said.

"Who's decided that it's more important to [not] have a dead car battery than a dead baby?"

Some companies taking first steps

There are some companies that are at least trying to address the problem.

Car seat manufacturer Evenflo has introduced a SensorSafe car seat, where a smart chest clip in the car seat communicates with a wireless USB receiver that plugs into a port on the dashboard.  

Once the motor is turned off a series of beeps alerts the driver that a baby is still in the seat.

In June, automaker GMC announced it was introducing a new feature called Rear Seat Reminder in its 2017 Acadia crossover.  

The feature activates when rear doors are opened within 10 minutes of the vehicle being started.  The next time the engine is turned off, five audible chimes sound to remind the driver to check the back seat.

There are also several smartphone apps available designed to remind people about forgotten children or cargo in the backseat, although Fennell said these are less reliable because they only work in areas with a reliable cellular network.

Fennell said these innovations are a good start, but that more children will die until such solutions are written in law.

"We just cannot wait any longer for something to be required on all vehicles."

• Children's Aid Society says people who leave kids in hot cars not always 'problem parents'