Leaving a child alone in an enclosed vehicle for any period of time can be dangerous. In the summer, when the weather is hot, the risk is compounded.
Children heat up three to five times faster than adults. Even if the temperature outside is mild, temperatures inside a vehicle can rise quickly. For example, if the temperature outside is 70 degrees, temperatures inside an enclosed vehicle can reach 89 degrees in only 10 minutes and 113 degrees in one hour.
And when it’s really hot outside? One hour in 90-degree weather can cause the temperature inside an enclosed vehicle to rise to 133 degrees!
Some lawmakers in Washington are pushing for legislation to make backseat alert systems mandatory in new vehicles. The legislation, dubbed the Hot Cars Act of 2019, was recently introduced in the House and would require a warning to alert drivers that someone is in the back seat when they turn off the car.
Some automobiles – such as certain Nissan, Hyundai, and General Motors models – already have a rear seat reminder feature. The feature is relatively simple. If sensors recognize weight in the rear seat when drivers turn off the vehicle, they hear a beeping sound and see a reminder on the dashboard to check the rear seat.
All this is good and fine – if parents or caregivers have one of the models with a rear seat reminder alert system. Many don’t, though, and the likelihood of all parents and caregivers upgrading their vehicles, even if the legislation passes, is slim. What, then, can be done to prevent a child from being forgotten in the backseat of a vehicle?
Here are two tech products designed to help prevent senseless child car deaths:
* The Backseat App: This app reminds drivers to check the backseat when their vehicle is parked. If the driver doesn’t turn off the alerts on his phone, the app will message three predetermined contacts to let them know – via text and e-mail – that a child might have been left in a hot car. The app will also send the location and identifying vehicle information to the contacts.
The Backseat App is especially useful for parents who have older model vehicles because it relies on GPS technology – not Bluetooth – to determine when a vehicle is turned off and where it is parked.
The Backseat App is available on iPhones and Androids and can be downloaded in the U.S., Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico.
* Built-in Car Seat Alerts: Some car seat manufacturers, such as Evenflo and Cybex, have chest clips that attach to a child and alert parents if: the car is too hot or too cold, the child has been in the car for an extended period of time, the car is turned off, or the driver’s cell phone has been removed from the vehicle.
If the driver doesn’t respond to the alert, predetermined contacts are informed that the child might have been left in a car.
Keeping children safe should be a priority – this summer and all year round. Have a safe rest of the summer!