The latest figures from the KidsandCars association explain that leaving children in a car is the main risk of death from hyperthermia (heat stroke) and explain that a child’s body overheats three to five times faster than that of an adult. Impressive numbers, which translate into tragedies: in the United States there are on average 39 deaths every year, or one every nine days. Cases in Europe are less common, but deaths have been reported in Ireland, France and Belgium, with passers-by sometimes taking matters into their own hands to try to prevent tragedies from occurring.
Ice dogs and children to understand the risks of heat in the car
But the heat also claims victims among pets left in vehicles: in the last ten years, according to the British association RSPCA, there have been over 60,000 cases of accidents involving animals left in cars. On the other hand, according to the RSPCA, it only takes six minutes for a dog to die in a car parked in the sun.
Hence the idea of Ford who, to avoid the complication of the famous anti-abandonment seats (which by the way only work for children and not for animals) has developed the Rear Occupant Alert, a simple reminder for drivers who warns – when closing the car – if the rear passenger doors have been opened at the start of a journey.
Experts advise drivers to “look before locking” to avoid inadvertently leaving a child or pet in their car. And Rear Occupant Alert acts precisely as a reminder on those occasions when the driver has opened the rear passenger doors (or folded a seat if the car is three-door) at the start of a journey. In such cases, the technology is activated after the vehicle has stopped and the ignition has been turned off.
A visual warning appears on the vehicle’s center display for ten seconds or until canceled. An audible signal is also emitted to remind the driver to check the rear seats before exiting the vehicle. In addition to alerting to the presence of a child or animal, the system could also remind drivers if they have placed a valuable item in the back, such as a laptop or bag that could be at risk of theft if left in the car.
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