Safer Car Trunks - needless tragedy

         Headline today ( AP ) : " Children die in car trunk " ( July 15 )

     I can't imagine a more horrible way for kids to die- locked in an

    airtight, nearly sound proof trunk, " suffocating and dying from the

    heat " while frantic relatives search the neighborhood for them .

       Police believe the  four cousins , ages 2 to 6 - foolishly playing

    around - closed the trunk themselves. It was a " tragic accident ".

           Anybody getting into a car on a hot,sunny day ( imagine Gallup, N.M ! )

    must often have a fleeting nightmare fantasy : How horrible to be locked

    inside  and helpless ! Those rolled up windows create a greenhouse effect

    inside the automobile. Now and then we read about family pets in this

    plight - and our hearts break.

         " The body in the trunk " is a commonplace image in detective and

    mystery stories. WE MUST MAKE THOSE CAR TRUNKS SAFER !

        Do they have to be nearly soundproof and airtight ? Can't they be

    designed with safety in mind ? Can't they at least have ventilation

    and a see through plastic window ? An easy way to push down the back

    seat if a hapless kid gets stuck inside ? Could it be possible to

    just push the trunk open from the inside ?

        Please no more bodies in trunks !