Forgotten baby syndrome

Forgotten baby syndrome refers to a phenomenon in which young children are mistakenly left in vehicles.

Analysis

Over 25% of parents with children under 3 have lost awareness of the child being present in the car at any point during the drive.[1]:77 Each year, around the world, dozens of children die of vehicle-related hyperthermia.[lower-alpha 1][3] Because these numbers began to rise after the popularization of air bags[9]:7 and rear-facing child safety seats,[1]:76 researchers began to suspect that memory may be the culprit.[10]

According to David M. Diamond, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida who has been studying the phenomenon since 2004, the phenomenon is a consequence of tension between the brain's habit-memory and prospective-memory systems,[11] which is resolved when basal ganglia "habit memory" suppresses the "prospective memory" system of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex,[1]:78,83[12][13] resulting in a false memory and what he calls "autopilot".[12][13][14] Other psychologists have suggested the phenomenon is functionally similar to forgetting keys in a car[15] or forgetting to post a letter.[16]

Diamond has identified common factors of the phenomenon as "stress, sleep deprivation, and change in routine".[13] Stephen Cowen, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona, has said that stress can render a person "more attentive to the immediate sensory stimuli or threats in your environment but not as attentive to your more distant memory of leaving your children in the car".[17]

Prevention efforts

There have been several efforts to address the phenomenon through technology, including back-seat alert systems (which note when a backseat is opened prior to driving), car-seat alarms (which detect whether a child is buckled in),[8] and end-of-trip reminders.[18] The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers have committed to the standardization of rear-seat-occupant alert systems by 2025.[19] Italy and Israel have enacted laws requiring such safety systems.[20]

See also

Notes

Explanatory notes

  1. In the United States, around 38 children die annually after being left in vehicles.[2][3] A study of Brazilian incidents examining 31 cases (including 21 fatalities) from 2006 to 2015 found that 71% of cases involved a parent forgetting the child.[4] An study of Italian incidents found 8 vehicular-related hyperthermia deaths between 1998 and 2017.[5] A study of Indian cases found 40 fatalities from 2011 to 2020.[6] A study of Canadian incidents found one death per year,[7] with most being a result of being forgotten.[8]

Citations

  1. Breitfeld, Erika (2020). "Hot-Car Deaths and Forgotten-Baby Syndrome: A Case Against Prosecution" (PDF). Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law. 25: 72–106.
  2. Null, Jan (May 30, 2023). "Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles". Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  3. Lee-Kelland, Richard; Finlay, Fiona (2019). "GP3 'Forgotten baby syndrome': a systematic review and analysis of caregiver intention" (PDF). Archives of Disease in Childhood. 104 (Suppl. 3). doi:10.1136/archdischild-2019-epa.69. S2CID 208413251.
  4. Costa, Driely; Grundstein, Andrew (July 2016). "An Analysis of Children Left Unattended in Parked Motor Vehicles in Brazil". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 13 (7): 649. doi:10.3390/ijerph13070649. PMC 4962190. PMID 27399747.
  5. Scozzari, Gitana; Bert, Fabrizio; Gualano, Maria R.; Siliquini, Roberta (February 2020). "Forgotten children in parked vehicles: a review of Italian fatalities". Minerva Pediatrica (in Italian). 72 (1): 55–59. doi:10.23736/S0026-4946.18.05125-3. PMID 29381013. S2CID 34039091.
  6. Siddiqui, Gulnaz Fatima; Singh, Mukesh Vir; Shrivastava, Anubha; Maurya, Manisha; Tripathi, Ambuj; Siddiqui, Shahid Akhtar (July 2021). "Children Left Unattended in Parked Vehicles in India: An Analysis of 40 Fatalities from 2011 to 2020". Journal of Tropical Pediatrics. 67 (3). doi:10.1093/tropej/fmaa075. PMID 32929468.
  7. Ho, Karen; Minhas, Ripudaman; Young, Elizabeth; Sgro, Michael; Huber, Joelene F. (April 2020). "Paediatric hyperthermia-related deaths while entrapped and unattended inside vehicles: The Canadian experience and anticipatory guidance for prevention". Paediatrics & Child Health. 25 (3): 143–148. doi:10.1093/pch/pxz087. PMC 7147705. PMID 32296275.
  8. Roy, Lillian (August 22, 2022). "'Forgotten baby syndrome' is more common than you think. Here's how technology can help". CTV News.
  9. Forston, Jacob W.; Fradella, Henry F. (2022). "A Content Analysis of Criminal Cases Concerning Unattended Children in Vehicles Between 1990 and 2021: Empirically-Based Suggestions for Reform" (PDF). Chapman Law Review. 26: 1–55.
  10. Rudd, Rodney; Prasad, Aloke; Weston, Doug; Wietholter, Kedryn (July 2015). "Introduction and Background". Functional Assessment of Unattended Child Reminder Systems (PDF) (Report). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. p. 2.
  11. Pelletiere, Nicole (July 14, 2016). "'Forgotten Baby Syndrome': A Parent's Nightmare of Hot Car Death". ABC News.
  12. Rosenblatt, Kalhan (June 27, 2017). "Hot Car Deaths: Scientists Detail Why Parents Forget Their Children". NBC News.
  13. Thomas, Emily A. (August 18, 2022). "Research Shows That Anyone Could Forget a Kid in a Hot Car". Consumer Reports.
  14. Groves, Anna (July 26, 2018). "You say it could never happen, but it does. Here are the reasons infants are left in cars". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  15. Minton, Leslie (May 24, 2018). "Study: Hot cars can hit deadly temperatures in as little as one hour". Arizona State University.
  16. "Mother suffered 'forgotten baby syndrome', death inquest told". BBC News. March 22, 2017.
  17. Purtill, Corinne (June 27, 2017). "The neuroscience that explains the awful truth that anyone is capable of accidentally killing their child". Quartz.
  18. Speck, Emilee (June 16, 2022). "7 apps and smart technology designed to prevent heatstroke deaths in children". Fox Weather.
  19. Maddireddy, Mihir (September 5, 2019). "Rear-Seat Occupant Alerts Will Be Standard on All Cars by 2025". Car and Driver.
  20. Stub, Zev (June 27, 2021). "From August 1: Devices to prevent drivers from forgetting kids in cars". Jerusalem Post.
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