According to Click 2 Houston, since 1990, over 800 children have been killed in the U.S. after being left in hot cars. Now, various members of the United States Congress are pushing forward to introduce legislation aimed at putting an end to hot car deaths.
Named the Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats (HOT CARS) Act of 2017, the bill would require carmakers fit new vehicles with technology that alerts the driver if there are still passengers sitting in the rear after the car has been turned off.
A handful of examples of this technology already exist, particularly in various 2017 model year vehicles from General Motors with its ‘Rear Seat Reminder’ feature. If the bill is passed, it would stipulate that all new vehicles be installed with a similar alert system as standard from the factory.
Child safety advocate and founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, Janette Fennell said: “It’s not about politics, it’s not about who is right or wrong. It is about safety.”
Note: Smart seat depicted below