'Rear Seat Reminder': GMC Adds Warning Chime So You Don't Forget You Have a Kid
Sometimes, someone invents a device that perfectly sums up the world we live in. Selfie sticks and microwave bacon racks are good examples, but GMC has a strong candidate with its Rear Seat Reminder.
The automaker just announced that the new warning chime, which monitors the rear doors of the 2017 Acadia SUV, will alert drivers to the fact that they’ve procreated, and that their vulnerable offspring is currently sitting in the backseat.
Please check back there and remove the child before leaving the vehicle, the industry-first chime (and associated dash warning light) suggests.
The feature, which comes standard on the next Acadia and will likely become a common sight in other cavernous utilities, was developed in response to real — and all too common — tragedies. Checking the backseat can slip a driver’s mind when, for example, child transport isn’t part of their normal commuting routine.
Here’s how the warning works, according to GMC:
The feature is intended to activate when either rear door is opened and closed within 10 minutes before the vehicle is started, or if they are opened and closed while the vehicle is running. Under these circumstances, the next time the vehicle is turned off after a door activation, the Acadia is designed to sound five audible chimes and display a message in the driver information center that reads, “Rear Seat Reminder / Look in Rear Seat.”
According to the Associated Press, at least 12 children have died so far this year after being left alone in hot cars. And the year isn’t even half over.
Children’s advocacy groups Kids and Cars and Safe Kids Worldwide have praised the automaker for developing the system and called for wider adoption.
[Image: General Motors]
More by Steph Willems
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Just think, every terrible driver you see on the road had to get a license before they were allowed to do that. But those same people have right to breed as much as they want, with no oversight (and a strong likelihood that they'll be dipping into your pocket to pay for their offspring's upbringing). Sad that this is necessary, glad that it exists.
Doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I see a downside. Every day I put my laptop bag on the floor in the back seat when I drive to work. Under this system that would set off the alarm. So I would think nothing of the alarm going off, even in other circumstances. I would rather see the system use a sensor in the seat similar to the front seats.
We should also have a toilet seat that reminds me to wipe when I'm done. Or a notification on my phone to remember to breathe. I'm constantly walking around with a filthy ass and a blue face. Parent isn't just a noun, it's a verb. Take personal responsibility for the human you made.
To all the people saying "OMG HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN UR KIDS DESERVE TO DIE IF UR A BAD PARENT"--- Shut up. No kid deserves to die a horrific, painful, cruel and unusual death because his/her parent is utterly overwhelmed and fatigued.