,
8 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Content Note: Child death.
All the cases I have read like this, none of them were someone leaving an infant in a car on purpose. (I am not asking for examples.) Societally we have so very little sympathy for this. But. It's tragically easy to see how it happens.
All the cases I have read like this, none of them were someone leaving an infant in a car on purpose. (I am not asking for examples.) Societally we have so very little sympathy for this. But. It's tragically easy to see how it happens.
Here's the thing: when industrial machinery allows a pattern of repeatable mistakes that leads to death, ideally we re-engineer things around that. Safety protocols. Safety features.
But we have a disconnect between workers and their families as part of the equation.
But we have a disconnect between workers and their families as part of the equation.
The daycare has safety procedures for the baby. The car has safety features for the driver and passenger. The workplace has its own safety rules.
The parked car in a garage with a baby in the backseat is in limbo.
The parked car in a garage with a baby in the backseat is in limbo.
It's a solvable problem. I think it's a mix of thinking of each case as an isolated example of a parent making the wrong choice, and possibly no one wanting to make their product responsible, from a liability standpoint.
Right now if this happens it's no one's fault but the parents. If automakers or car seat makers accept the premise that they have a responsibility to ensure children get out of the car... well, I imagine their lawyers would want to fight that.
Meanwhile, while safety features would be a good thing, we also need safety procedures. Pilots can only work so many hours because they are trusted with lives and inattention can be fatal.
How about parents?
Parental leave. Childcare credits. Universal basic income.
How about parents?
Parental leave. Childcare credits. Universal basic income.
My point is not that tech would be bad, but that it wouldn't address the root cause. It needs a systemic fix.
Parents are overworked and undersupported. A whole lot of ills go away if we fix that.
And hey, anyone concerned about falling birthrates, delayed marriages, or even divorce and abortion rates... here's your fix.
Raising the next generation shouldn't require martyrdom.
And hey, anyone concerned about falling birthrates, delayed marriages, or even divorce and abortion rates... here's your fix.
Raising the next generation shouldn't require martyrdom.
