A Device that Would Destroy the plot of Goodfellas

There is an invention that protects against trunk entrapment. In fact, the invention is so successful that it is now mandatory to install in all cars for safety purposes. Essentially, it is a glow-in-the-dark release handle designed to allow people to escape from trunks in the event that they are accidently or intentionally entrapped in one. Indeed, Martin Scorsese would have missed out on a large pay check had this device been in use during the time period Goodfellas was set.

Although daunting and horrifying, facts shows that 10 to 20 people die from trunk entrapment each year, according to Janette Fenell, founder and president of Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the reduction of injury and death caused by children stumbling into the trunks of motor vehicles. The reason designers chose to shade the handle with glow-in-the-dark ink is due to the fact that it is difficult to see in the dark—which is what you should expect if ever encased in a trunk. But it also entices children to pull the lever, because they are endeared by bright, shiny objects. In the unthinkable event that a child is accidently trapped in a trunk, instinct would certainly encourage the child to grab the glow in the dark object directly in their line of sight.

If your car was made before 2002, a company called Kids and Cars (www.kidsandcars.org) sells easy to install emergency release handles in the event that you care is unequipped with one. It works with almost any car model, including outdated vehicles such as the 1979 Mustang. There is no reason one should risk losing their child to the death jaws of a trunk. Installing a release handle is a must.