The tragic death of a 9 month old boy, forgotten by his mum at the back of the car is a stark reminder of how such incidents can occur, when the brain operates on “autopilot,” losing awareness of critical events, expert opinion says.
Awareness and prevention are vital, with the phenomenon seemingly reaching pandemic proportions in other countries.
Such incidents are entirely preventable, as they are mostly linked to the “forgotten baby syndrome,” a memory failure where the parent or caregiver, due to routine or distraction, forgets that the child is in the car.
Within minutes, the interior of a vehicle can heat up to lethal levels, leading to heatstroke and tragic consequences.
Over the past decade the phenomenon has reached massive proportions in the US, with hundreds of children dying and others suffering brain damage. In fact, parents and caregivers faced severe penalties, even charges of manslaughter, for forgetting their children in the car.
Dr. David Diamond, a neuroscientist and professor at the University of South Florida, who has extensively studied this phenomenon, argues that such unintentional incidents are due to “memory failure” and not negligence or lack of affection from parents.
He also introduced the term “Forgotten Baby Syndrome” to describe the phenomenon, although he now prefers not to use it, as it’s not always well-received and leaving a child in a car is not indicative of brain damage or pathology. His work aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms and contribute to the prevention of future tragedies.
His research examines the neurobiological and cognitive processes that lead to this loss of awareness, emphasising the role of competition between prospective memory and habit memory.
The dominant neurobiological and cognitive explanations for the phenomenon of forgetting children in hot cars focus on the interaction between two independent memory systems in the brain: the prospective memory system and the habit memory system.
Prospective memory refers to the plan to transport a child to a location, usually a daycare or home, or to retrieve the child from the car at the end of a trip. The prospective memory system involves two brain structures: the hippocampus (HC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which work together to optimize the conscious planning of future activities and multitasking memory.
Habit memory refers entirely to actions that occur in the present. It involves repetitive actions performed mechanically, such as driving from one location to another, for example from home to work, with minimal conscious effort. The habit memory system relies on the function of the “basal ganglia (BG),” a brain structure that allows people to perform established routines with minimal conscious effort. It is characterized as the brain’s “autopilot.”
This means that when an action has been repeated several times, it becomes a habit, and the basal ganglia take over its execution, leaving the conscious mind free to deal with other things.
Forgetting children in cars occurs when the brain’s habit memory system overrides the prospective memory system. In these cases, the driver starts the journey with the plan to transport the child to a destination, but at some point, they lose awareness of the child’s presence in the car. Thus, they travel directly to the final destination without realising the child is still inside.
An example is when a person intends (prospective memory) to stop at a store for groceries on the way home from work. However, they drive straight home, without remembering the plan. This is explained by the fact that the habit memory system (basal ganglia) suppressed the prospective memory system (hippocampus and prefrontal cortex).
Factors Contributing to Memory Failure:
Various factors can contribute to the failure of prospective memory and increase the dominance of habit memory:
Severe stress or an extremely distracting experience before or during driving. Neuroscientific research has shown that stress has a selective negative effect on prospective memory, but not on habit memory.
Interrupted sleep the previous night. Sleep deprivation also has a selective negative effect on prospective memory, but not on habit memory.
A change in routine can cause the habit memory system to trigger an automatic response that bypasses the planned destination for the child.
The child is unusually quiet (possibly sleeping) during the journey.
This change in interaction between parent and child can be interpreted by the basal ganglia as a day when the child is not present in the car, triggering automatic driving directly to work.
A significant element is the creation of a “false memory” where the parent believes they have taken care of the child, leading them to continue their day unaware that they are still in the car.
According to the study, many, but not all, parents report experiencing intense stress or an extremely distracting experience before or during driving. Neuroscientific research has shown that stress has a selective negative effect on prospective memory, but not on habit memory.
Prevention Measures:
The HOT CARS Act of 2017 in the US aims to make it mandatory for cars to be equipped with a system that alerts the driver if a passenger remains in the back seat when the car is turned off.
The effectiveness of current technologies is not yet considered sufficient for approval by the relevant authorities. However, various inventions are attempting to address this problem, although there is not yet a reliable device that meets all criteria (waterproof, child-proof, independent of batteries or phone apps).
The presence of a specific item as a reminder can help a parent who has lost awareness of the child in the car. For example, if an item necessary for the child (such as a diaper bag) is placed in the front or back seat where the parent will see or have to pick it up, they may regain awareness of the child’s presence. Another type of reminder could be the child themselves making noise.
Since habit can override prospective memory, creating new, strong habits that include checking the back seat before leaving the car could help.
Conditions such as intense stress and lack of sleep have a negative impact on prospective memory. Recognizing these conditions can lead to greater vigilance and the use of preventive measures.
It is important for the public to understand that this phenomenon can happen to anyone, even loving and attentive parents, due to how memory works under certain conditions. The belief that “this could never happen to me” can be a “potentially fatal mistake.
It is important to avoid rear-facing child seats that make it difficult for the driver to have visual contact with the child.
Check before locking – Make sure the back seat is empty.
Reminder item – Place the bag, phone, or keys in the back seat.
Technological means – Use apps or sensors that alert if the child is still in the car.
Communication with daycare centers – Ask them to call if the child does not arrive.
Dr. David Diamond plays a central and multifaceted role in cases of children being forgotten in cars. He has dedicated a significant portion of his research to studying this tragic phenomenon.
He has conducted extensive research on the neurobiological and cognitive perspectives of how normal parents can unintentionally forget their children in cars. His research includes interviews with parents, and the study of police and journalistic reports.
He has served as an expert witness in numerous criminal and civil trials involving deaths or brain injuries of children forgotten in hot cars. He provides advice to defence attorneys and prosecutors regarding brain function, memory, and stress in these cases.
His testimony often focuses on explaining the phenomenon of memory failure and arguing that these tragedies are not necessarily the result of negligence or ill intent.
He actively participates in the media and documentaries, trying to raise public awareness and explain the neurological mechanisms behind these tragedies.
He has expressed his support for legislative efforts, such as the HOT CARS Act, which aim to incorporate technology into vehicles to prevent these deaths.
