NPR

Cars Are Starting To Remind Us Not To Leave Baby In The Back Seat

An average of 37 children die in hot cars each year. A new bill in Congress aims to address the problem by requiring all new autos to remind drivers to check the back seat when they leave the car.
<strong></strong>Rear Seat Reminder, designed to remind drivers to check the back seat as they exit their vehicles, will be offered in many Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles by the 2018 model year.

Your car already reminds you of a lot of things. Fasten your seat belt, charge your battery, inflate your tires, fill the tank.

Now Congress wants car makers to work in another one: a reminder to check the backseat. The goal is to cut down on the number of kids who die every year in hot cars. On average, 37 kids die each year that way; this year, the toll is 35, and it's only August.

The Hot Cars Act of 2017 — and the — doesn't specify the form that reminder should take. Should it be a beep when you turn off the car? Should your car honk at you? Should your phone ring?

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