Motor City Monday Extrication Tip; Key Fobs

The ignition key is used without a second thought everyday by billions of people.  However, the ignition key as several safety features built into every vehicle that are taken for granted. Most extrication minded responders think about crash test standards when the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) are mentioned during training or in an article. However, FMVSS impact every part of a vehicle designed for the roadway of the United States. 

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114 covers theft protection and roll-away prevention.  This standard requires that an automatic transmission vehicle must be placed in the “park” position before the key can be removed from the ignition.  This prevents vehicles from accidentally being left in “drive” and rolling after the driver exits. The other provision requires that a vehicle cannot be operated after the key is removed from the starting system.

Drivers of vehicles with start/stop buttons key-less ignition with an electric key fob can unknowingly bypass the rollaway prevention features. The key fob is operable without ever leaving the pocket or purse which means the vehicle will run and can be left in drive with the key fob removed.  The vehicle can run indefinitely with the key fob out of the transmittal range and it will continue to run until the fuel is depleted or the engine is shut down.  Most vehicles with this type of key fob will give an audible alarm and visual message on the instrument panel.  Yet this warning could be overlooked.

While FMVSS 114 mandated several roll-away prevention features, vehicles with key-less ignition can be shutdown with the transmission in drive and the key fob removed.  At first look, responders my not notice the vehicle is in park, especially if the 12 volt battery is secured quickly at an accident scene.  The take away? Unless the vehicle is in “park”, it is susceptible to unintended rolling.  Unintended rolling is a possibility until the vehicle is stabilized and secured.