Summertime has arrived and along with the heat comes the very real risk of kids being left in cars. Thankfully more car makers are building vehicles equipped with back seat alerts so that no family members get forgotten.

While rear seat reminders are a new technology, they are quickly becoming an important feature among car companies and many experts believe they might even become mandatory. With dozens of reported fatalities every summer, and heat-stroke one of the leading causes of death in kids, it’s not surprising that these new features are quickly becoming a staple addition to cars.

GMC is leading the pack when it comes to car makers that offer rear seat reminders. The feature has been included as standard in several different models the company sells since 2017. Rear seat reminder is included in the Terrain, Acadia and Yukon, as well as two trucks, the Canyon and Sierra. It is also standard in the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac Escalade, as well as the Chevrolet Equinox, Colorado, Suburban, Tahoe and Malibu, among others. Nissan has joined GMC in offering rear seat reminders on the Pathfinder and has plans to include the feature in other models.

The reminders work by monitoring the rear doors. When the doors have been opened and the car is turned off within the same drive, notifications will alert drivers with a sound and a panel display reminding them to check the back seat.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash

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