General Discussion

Xithras

(16,191 posts)

61. They were invented long ago. Nobody wants the liability.

Fri Jan 25, 2013, 08:30 PM

Jan 2013

It's impossible to build a piece of technology that is 100% reliable, and the first time one fails and a kid dies, the kids parents will OWN the company. If you build and market a technology with the specific promise that it will save forgotten babies from locked cars, and a baby dies because that technology fails to work, the liability would be staggering. The odds that ONE will eventually fail to work are pretty much 100%. A battery will fail. A baby bottle or leaky diaper will soak the electronics. Something, somewhere will eventually go wrong, and one will fail to work...and that kids parents will sue (and win).

No major manufacturer or retailer wants that liability. You CAN buy one from small companies over the Internet, but few people bother.

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Highlight:

Man left baby in car for 8 hours (he's ok) outside work. Didn't realize until wife called [View all] Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 OP

I feel bad for the baby ...for it has an asshole irresponsible dad ... srican69 Jan 2013 #1

He is irresponsible, and I'm not looking to reward him for his choice to seek medical care, but you Ed Suspicious Jan 2013 #3

As a parent who once had infants, I can understand why these tragedies occur. yardwork Jan 2013 #35

Autopilot is the word I was thinking. Courtesy Flush Jan 2013 #83

Yes, that's it exactly. yardwork Jan 2013 #94

Yes, or a campaign to always check for the kid or something treestar Jan 2013 #90

I agree, something could be invented and installed in all cars. yardwork Jan 2013 #95

People make mistakes, Bet you do to. Sure he feels bad enough. n-t Logical Jan 2013 #50

He isn't an asshole obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #65

Maybe the baby-in-the-back-seat rule marybourg Jan 2013 #2

Far more car accidents customerserviceguy Jan 2013 #34

I tend to cut parents of infants a lot of slack Warpy Jan 2013 #4

i do too. seabeyond Jan 2013 #9

And real neglect, with the kid freezing to death Warpy Jan 2013 #30

and my heart breaks, when everything isnt fine. a couple years ago, seabeyond Jan 2013 #31

It's so discouraging that these threads so often end up as monuments of (self)righteousness alcibiades_mystery Jan 2013 #11

+1000 n/t trotsky Jan 2013 #19

maybe it's a defense mechanism. We need to believe we'd never allow ourselves to make that mistake. KittyWampus Jan 2013 #32

So true. Many idiots on the DU act like they never could bever make a serious mistake. n-t Logical Jan 2013 #51

Me too. Have my own story. alphafemale Jan 2013 #28

I've done that before. laundry_queen Jan 2013 #88

I understand too d_r Jan 2013 #53

I have dogs. I can see how this happens. Honeycombe8 Jan 2013 #71

That sounds too much like common, rational thinking LOVE IT nt Laura PourMeADrink Jan 2013 #87

Phew! abelenkpe Jan 2013 #5

Someone should invent a beeper LiberalEsto Jan 2013 #6

They have then, but they say they don't work that well. Lone_Star_Dem Jan 2013 #7

Then they need to come up with a better one LiberalEsto Jan 2013 #8

I had an idea for this a while back... Javaman Jan 2013 #21

They were invented long ago. Nobody wants the liability. Xithras Jan 2013 #61

that would be one diaper I would regret.... Evasporque Jan 2013 #10

Our daycare calls us when there's an unexplained absence alcibiades_mystery Jan 2013 #12

good backup support from the daycare Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #15

Answers thus far are WAY too tame for this kind of nincompoopery! MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #13

Interesting comment JanMichael Jan 2013 #16

Well thanks for the article, but it does nothing to present any "reason" this happens... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #17

so, you didn't read the entire article, did you JanMichael Jan 2013 #23

I did read it... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #40

The article explains what you are saying it doesn't obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #68

you need to read the article. When we are stressed out/tired & routines are breached our higher KittyWampus Jan 2013 #37

Yes... so.... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #41

There is a reason why courts don't convict parents who do this obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #70

LOL, I love all the perfect people here. I bet you are a joy to be around. n-t Logical Jan 2013 #52

Actually, I am... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #57

It happens quite a bit, by very responsible people obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #67

The Washington Post had a Pulitzer Prize Winning story on these kinds of incidents charlie and algernon Jan 2013 #14

Your warning was correct. trotsky Jan 2013 #20

Every single person responding to this post needs to read that article ALL the way JanMichael Jan 2013 #25

Here is the snip that really drives it home: trotsky Jan 2013 #26

That's exactly the quote and part of the article JanMichael Jan 2013 #49

Yes, that's a good quote from the article. Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #63

I agree DollarBillHines Jan 2013 #62

imagine that phone call Enrique Jan 2013 #18

Sleep deprivation can mess with your brain. Zoeisright Jan 2013 #22

Damn! I'm glad the baby is okay! Cha Jan 2013 #24

It is easy. I remember jumping in a car with my convulsing infant in my arms. As my husband appleannie1 Jan 2013 #59

This was such a huge fear for me when I was younger gollygee Jan 2013 #27

Oh, my... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #43

What do you think was terribly, terribly, terribly wrong? (Other than of course forgetting baby) gollygee Jan 2013 #44

Forgetting a baby is in the back seat of your car... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #45

No, it really is just forgetfulness gollygee Jan 2013 #46

Thanks for the warning... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #47

You are mighty cocky sounding JanMichael Jan 2013 #48

Look, I'm as apt to have this problem as you are. Maybe I'm not clear on this... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #55

Skinner had an interesting post in another thread a while back on the same thing.. Fumesucker Jan 2013 #60

And, I can agree on that being said... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #64

Here's a piece by someone who *almost* killed their child Fumesucker Jan 2013 #92

Nope, nothing abnormal, and you could do it, too obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #74

I never said I couldn't MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #85

The point is, nothing IS terribly, terribly wrong obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #73

There is no argument there... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #86

So wait.... ProudToBeBlueInRhody Jan 2013 #79

My pass card for work was in my purse gollygee Jan 2013 #93

That kid must have had an awesome coat & good boots! catbyte Jan 2013 #29

It it was sunny, passive heat would have kept the car decently warm obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #76

If this had been in summer, likely a different ending. Puzzledtraveller Jan 2013 #33

Aw that poor baby rickjliberal1946sef Jan 2013 #36

his monster of a dad is no different than you or i.. frylock Jan 2013 #42

Shades of the old days - there were many children left in cars years ago or at home alone. The laws jwirr Jan 2013 #38

That did not happen in this case. nt Walk away Jan 2013 #56

Read: Frazzled parent who works too many hours for too little pay bc of profit predators LaydeeBug Jan 2013 #39

Thank goodness everything is alright. I'm sure this poor man will punish himself... Walk away Jan 2013 #54

Yes, I agree... MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #58

There is no problem obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #77

What gives you the confidence of saying there is no problem with this kind of memory failure? MrMickeysMom Jan 2013 #84

If it was sunny, the car may have been decently warm obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #66

What idiot could forget their OWN BABY in a car? Odin2005 Jan 2013 #69

It could happen to anyone. smokey nj Jan 2013 #75

Lucky.ass.parents. Baitball Blogger Jan 2013 #72

Just getting the baby up, fed, ready, out the door, strapped in; along with the other demands of the NBachers Jan 2013 #78

70+ years ago, when I was a baby (and even when I had my babies) marybourg Jan 2013 #80

The Washington Post article is very sad, but also very instructive. The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2013 #81

What side of car was carseat in? - back passenger side or back driver side benld74 Jan 2013 #82

Thank the goddess it wasn't summer treestar Jan 2013 #89

Two words: SLEEP DEPRIVATION. Brigid Jan 2013 #91