Res 0168-2022

By the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams) Whereas, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has confirmed that vehicular heatstroke poses a grave threat to public safety as, on average, a child dies from vehicular heatstroke once every ten days; and Whereas, Heatstroke begins when body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit, quickly overwhelming the thermoregulatory system, and becomes lethal when body temperature reaches or exceeds 107 degrees Fahrenheit; and Whereas, Evidence has shown even a mild outside temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit can cause the inside temperature of a vehicle to rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit within ten minutes; and Whereas, The NHTSA has confirmed that vehicular heatstroke, which occurs when an individual is left in a hot vehicle, allowing their core body temperature to quickly elevate to dangerous levels, is one of the leading causes of non-crash-related fatalities among children; and Whereas, 907 children have died as a result of vehicular heatstroke in the United States since 1998, including 23 children who succumbed to vehicular heatstroke in 2021; and Whereas, While rear seat alert systems technology presently exists and can detect the presence of unattended children and animals in the rear seat of a vehicle once the driver gets out of the car, to date, installation of this technology is voluntary and not mandated on the part of automobile manufacturers or automobile owners; and Whereas, The Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers groups which represent the majority of carmakers serving the United States market have agreed to standardize rear seat occupant alert technology in their entire passenger fleets by the 2025 model year; and Whereas, Skilled automobile industry suppliers who invested in detection and alert systems report the costs of installing such systems into existing cars to be relatively small when compared to the potentially incalculable life-saving benefits; and Whereas, In August 2019, New York State Senator David Carlucci introduced the Heatstroke Elimination Awareness Technology Act (S.6642) and Assembly Member Ellen Jaffee introduced a companion bill (A.8537), which would require motor vehicles sold in New York State to be equipped with a functioning rear seat detection system to recognize the presence of an occupant in the rear seating position after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated, and automatically provide the driver with a warning alert; and Whereas, Although vitally important, S.6642/A.8537 was not passed and similar legislation has yet to be reintroduced and passed in the new legislative session; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the New York City Council calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation requiring motor vehicles sold in New York State to be equipped with a functioning rear seat detection system that can detect the presence of an occupant in a rear designated seating position after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated, and automatically provide the driver with a warning alert. Session 12 KK LS #7821 3/4/22 Session 11 CD LS 11900-11947 10/9/19 1