Beware of the hazards posed by power windows and doors of cars -CHOICE # 366

An auto-reverse sensor can go a long way to prevent accidents involving power windows of cars.

To enhance safety, the Consumer Council has recommended that all power windows should be equipped with auto-reverse sensors so that when the window strikes an obstruction on the way up it could automatically reverse.

This anti-trap device is especially important for power windows with one-touch up feature in which the user simply needs to trigger the switch once and up goes the window all the way.

Motorists and parents with young children in the car are urged to beware in light of a recent tragedy in Taiwan in which a 4-year-old was trapped accidentally by a power window and strangled to death.

Available statistics on such accidents showed 58 fatalities over the last couple of decades in the United States, and an estimated 500 people (half of them children) treated annually in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to power windows.

Commonly in use in cars are three types of power window switches, namely, lever switches, rocker switches, and toggle switches.

The lever type is deemed to have the safest design as it can only be activated by the user scooping the finger underneath and pulling it up in order to raise the window. This design could prevent the child from accidentally activating the switch.

Besides car windows, young children are also vulnerable to accidents related to car doors.

According to the National Consumer Affairs Centre of Japan (NCAC), children under the age of 10 accounted for 344 of the 755 door-related accidents reported between April 2004 and October 2005.

Among the injury cases, 40 were identified to be caused by sliding doors equipped in the vehicles. By comparison, injuries caused by sliding doors tend to be more serious in nature than hinged doors. 

The NCAC has conducted a sliding door test of private minivans. Highlights of the test include:

• The impact force is two or more times stronger than a hinged door when a part of the body is caught by a sliding door and hence may cause serious injury.
   
• If caught by a sliding door with the car parked on a slope, the impact force would be substantial and most probably cause serious injury.
   
• When caught by a power operated sliding door, the anti-trap function could be activated with a relatively small impact force. Nevertheless, there were occasions where the function was not activated due to the specific way in which a part of the body was caught by the sliding door.
   
• When closing the car door, ensure that the hands and legs of small children are inside the door area. If a child is likely to open or close the door by him/herself, make sure to use a child lock that ensures that the doors are made non-operable from inside the car.

Do not force yourself to open or close a sliding door when there is a gust of wind or when your car is parked on a slope as in both situations an external force is applied to the door.

When using public transportation, parents should pay special attention to their children when getting off a vehicle. Car drivers should make sure the passengers have completely got off the car before closing the door.