GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia defense attorney is calling for federal legislation that would require new vehicles to include technology designed to prevent children from being left in hot cars.
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Attorney Tom Ford announced Sunday that he has submitted a proposal, called the Zero Hot Car Infant Deaths Act, to the offices of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett.
The proposal comes after the death of a 1-year-old in Gwinnett County and the murder charges filed against the child’s mother, Deja Coleman.
Ford said the proposed legislation would require new passenger vehicles to include interior sensors capable of detecting a child inside the vehicle.
The proposal also calls for emergency features such as smartphone alerts, exterior alarms and automatic 911 notifications if dangerous temperatures are detected.
Ford also criticized Georgia’s use of its second-degree murder law in cases involving children left in hot cars, arguing parents who unintentionally leave a child in a vehicle should not face the same penalties as intentional offenders.
“We do not punish folks in this country for being human,” Ford said in a statement. “The answer is engineering. Spending a couple of hundred dollars on a sensor when a car is built will ensure no more babies suffer an unimaginably horrific death.”
Ford said he has asked both lawmakers to consider sponsoring the legislation. As of Sunday, neither congressional office had publicly responded to the proposal.
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