Wal-Mart and Evenflo recently announced a new infant car seat with technology designed to remind drivers that they have backseat passengers—an attempt to prevent children from dying in hot cars.
The Evenflo “Advanced SensorSafe Embrace” infant car seat contains a wireless receiver that plugs into a car’s on-board diagnostic port and syncs with the chest clip that wraps around the baby. A sensor on the car seat harness triggers a series of sounds if a child is still buckled-in once the ignition is switched off. The feature is meant to serve as a reminder to drivers who might forget that a toddler is still in the vehicle.
Research was conducted to ensure that the “sounds” are not similar to existing car sounds or smartphone ringtones.
Janette E. Funnel, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, suggests that this new car seat technology is a promising development, stating: “This is the first time where I can say with a great deal of confidence that there is something that works, and you’ve got some big companies behind it, and it will save lives.”
According to KidsAndCars.org, approximately 38 children die every year from being trapped in hot cars. Half of these cases involve children who are forgotten in the back seat.
Sashin, D., “Walmart announces infant car seat designed to prevent hot car deaths,” Cnn.com, July 27, 2015; http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/24/health/walmart-car-seat-hot-car-deaths/index.html.