Thank you for your interest in TRUNC*. TRUNC is an organization whose mission is to make it mandatory for all automobiles to have trunks that can be opened simply and quickly by children or adults trapped inside.

People are locked in car trunks more often than you might imagine. Knowledge about this issue is further complicated by the fact that no statistics were previously available for how frequently this happens.

We have accumulated over 1600+ cases where people were confined in a car trunk. Once the victims are forced inside the trunk of a car, they are entombed without a means of escape. In 20-25% of these incidents people have died as a result of being locked inside the trunk of a car (300+ deaths). Some trunk entrapments are accidental; as when children are playing and lock themselves inside, or when teenagers are playing a prank. In most of these situations, a trunk release could have helped or even saved their lives.

Automobile manufacturers know about this issue but refuse to place a trunk release device in the trunks of their vehicles. They sympathize with the victims; but give mainly two reasons why they will not consider an inside trunk release.

1. When criminals realize the trunk has a release device, they will dismantle it before placing a victim inside.
2. When criminals realize all trunks have inside trunk releases, they may harm the victim before locking them in the trunk.

   Response: Our research indicates that criminals are not thinking of what is inside the trunk of a car at the time of the abduction. The abductor uses the trunk as a "prison" to quickly move the victim to a more secluded location where the crime is committed; or abandons the car leaving the victim locked inside the trunk. We recommend that auto manufacturers design the trunk release so that if tampered with, the trunk would not lock at all, or the car would not start. An inside trunk release enables the victim to escape anytime the car is stopped, (i.e., at a red light, stop sign, etc.) or somehow bring attention to themselves.

   Also, automobile manufacturers have never addressed the fact that innocent children have died after accidentally locking themselves inside a car trunk. After 1 death and 11 "close calls" of children locking themselves inside the wheel wells (rear side storage compartment) of station wagons; auto manufacturers immediately recalled all station wagons. Why is the trunk of an automobile any different from the wheel well of a station wagon?

return to home page