Media: Key in Son's Stomach starts Car

ThisisOxfordshire.co.uk tells the following story of technology transfer:

Oxford mum Amanda Webster believed her Ford Focus had broken down during a shopping trip in west London. She called out the RAC, thinking it might be an electrical problem. But her one-year old son Oscar had been playing with the keys and the attending patrol leader realised Oscar might have swallowed the immobiliser chip.

The security device embedded in the key emits a signal that is picked up close to the ignition. Without the signal the car will not start.

The website reports that RAC officer Keith Scott checked battery and ignition before spotting the transmitter was missing from the keys. Mrs Webster searched the car and her handbag. Then she recalled that her son had had them in his mouth.

'I told her to put Oscar as close as she could to the steering wheel and, when she turned the key, the car started first time. I couldn't believe it, it was such a long shot. I was as surprised as Mrs Webster. Oscar thought it was really quite amusing - he was still trying to play with the keys. I've spoken to her since and he's absolutely fine,' the site quotes Scott.

(Thanks to William Hudson for drawing attention to the story with a succinct version of this dramatic tale on his UCD mailing list.)

Associated Link: ThisisOxfordshire story

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