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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. [a] [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

  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] A 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]

References

  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Rosenblatt, Kalhan (June 27, 2017). "Hot Car Deaths: Scientists Detail Why Parents Forget Their Children". NBC News.
  13. ^ a b c 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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