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Originally Posted by f5fstop
And I suppose they are suing Hummer/GM due to this tragedy, or are they accepting the blame?
Hell, I raised three rambunctious boys back in the 80s who were into everything, but they only tried to open the rear door or remove the seat belts once. All three tested me and their mother once, and that was all they dared.
Didn't have to spank 'em, didn't have to electrify the doors, all I had to do was stop the vehicle, turn around and inform them the wrath of Dad would befall them if they ever tried that stunt again. The voice, the look, that was all that was needed.
In seven years, working very closely with GM product investigators in MI and TN, I never heard of any kid opening a door and falling out, who was properly restrained in a car seat. I have to assume that when they were old enough to only wear a seat belt, they were old enough not to try it.
For a kid, properly restrained in a car seat, to reach forward, and open the door while it is doing 10-100 miles an hour, makes it almost impossible to open the door (unless the one-year old is built like Arnold). Try it sometime yourself, open a car door at 10 miles an hour and you can feel the resistance from the air trying to close it. You can open it, but you are an adult.
If the car was going around the corner in the opposite direction from the door being opened, yes the door will swing open. But the kid will not fall out if PROPERLY restrained in a car seat that is PROPERLY attached to the seat and belts.
If the parents allow the child to romp around the back seat, and kid opens the door, yes, he may fall out and get killed. However, all states require kids to be restrained in a car seat or seat belts, so Mom and Dad are not only breaking the law, they should not be parents.
Hummer will be adding the child safety locks, this decision was made last year, due to input from vehicle clinics and requests from the Customer assistance center. It was not a decision from the fact someone fell out, it was a decision based upon market research. It will help sell vehicles, so I'm for it.
Another interesting fact from surveys performed by NHTSA a few years ago. Most parents did not use the child safety locks, due to not knowing they were there (salespeople forgot to show the feature and/or they did not read the owner's manual). I believe that survey would be different today, but who knows.
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