WASHINGTON -- New cars should have a release mechanism inside the trunk to enable children or others locked inside to escape, a government-appointed panel has concluded.
After 11 children climbed inside trunks and died in the summer heat last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency created the panel to study the problem. At least 19 children have died in the past decade after inadvertently locking themselves into trunks, often while playing, government officials say.The panel, composed of representatives of industry, medical and consumer groups, said in a report obtained by the Associated Press that by 2001 new cars should have a handle inside the trunk to unlock it.
The Expert Panel on Trunk Entrapment recommended that the NHTSA require such devices on new cars. The panel also encouraged automakers to voluntarily develop kits for trunk release handles for cars already on the road.
Several automakers have already taken steps to make trunk handles available.
General Motors Corp. has a trunk-release kit at dealerships that can be installed as optional equipment. GM's yellow handle is illuminated in the dark cargo area. There is a separate mechanism for the trunk latch to prevent the trunk from shutting unless an adult manually resets it.
Ford Motor Co. will have a T-shaped handle that glows inside the trunk as a standard feature on its 2000 models.
The panel also recommended educational outreach to parents so children understand the trunk is not a safe place to play, along with trunk safety information on warning labels and owners manuals in cars.