Group wants garage-door type autoreverse on power windows

[Chuck]

The agency estimates there are 1,995 injuries – mostly minor – and six deaths a year related to power windows.

Christopher Jensen - BLOGS - Nov 2, 2009

Don't really want to dwell on a child getting in one of these situations --Ed.

A consumer group says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is greatly underestimating the number of people – including children — injured or killed by power windows.

“It just kind of defies logic why anyone would allow a product to continue to be made in a fashion that is knowingly killing, maiming, crushing, and responsible for amputation,” said Janette Fennell, president of KidsAndCars.org in Leawood, Kan. The group wants the federal agency to require automakers to equip all power windows with an auto-reverse feature, so that a window would automatically stop and open if it encountered an obstruction while closing.... [Read More]

[tjts1]

The invisible hand of Darwin at work.

[PaleMelanesian]

not necessary with hand-crank windows...

But a definite concern with power windows. Unfortunate that it has to be one more thing, always more complication added to the system. I like simple.

[JusBringIt]

Power windows...more dangerous to humans than sharks...I never thought it...

[Shiba3420]

Yea, thats what I want when someone tries to reach in my open window....a device that will keep me from closing it. I wouldn't mind a limiter that prevents excess force from cutting/crushing, but not auto reversing.

[Chuck]

So before things do get really complicated, why not have an MRI scanner that verifies if the driver is sober and of sound mind and body?

[St. Mushroom]

6 deaths a year is a (bad) joke. This has to be a PR stunt for KidsAndCars. From a utilitarian angle, why not concentrate on higher yield efforts like accident survivability, or better yet, conduct outreach programs to get parents to drive safely?

"By far the most common type of injury accident involving children are those that also involve motor vehicle collisions."

http://www.articlesbase.com/law-arti...cs-695796.html

Here's an easier one:

"The failure to wear a seat belt or use a child safety seat is a contributing factor in more than half of the cases involving children who die in car accidents."

[Kurz]

Or put an annoying buzzing sound for all your passengers that don't have a seat belt on.

I want to close my window on an assallents arm let me!

[WriConsult]

I have this on my VWs (no surprise - probably another German safety law). Not too worried about the downside, though: the odds of my having the need/opportunity to close a window on an assailant's arm are about equal to the risk of my getting my neck caught in a closing power window. For all practical purposes, zero. I'm more likely to die slipping on ice walking to my car on a winter day. Oh, did I mention we get ice in Portland about twice a year? In other words, zero.

But should it even matter? Wasn't it like 20 years ago that automakers changed their power-window switches so that you have to have to LIFT them to raise the window. I.e., the weight of a child standing on the switch would cause the window to go down rather than up. How can this even still be a problem?

[99LeCouch]

The switches in my Buick are the old back/forth style.

There are lockouts for the windows on the driver's switch panel. Crack the windows, lock them out. Problem solved.