Every year small children and babies die in cars where they were left, strapped into car seats with the windows rolled up and temperatures climbing well over 100 degrees. Now the organization Kids and Cars is working with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to require automakers to provide sensors reminding parents that they're leaving live cargo behind. Proponents liken it to alarms for leaving your lights on or your keys in the ignition. Critics claim that it will add thousands of dollars to the cost of cars. Besides, no system yet exists that doesn't emit false alarms. Various third-party systems already exist:
*The Child Minder system replaces the car seat's harness clip with a "smart clip," which beeps to a key ring alarm. The system beeps whenever a child is buckled into the seat and the key-ring holder walks more than 10 feet from the car.
*Volvo's S80 features a Personal Car Communicator, which detects a heartbeat inside the vehicle and sends a warning to the driver's wireless key fob (Volvo markets it as a protection device for women worried about back-seat attackers, not for babies).
*NASA will soon market its Child Presence Sensor, which features a weight-sensitive pad that fits under the car seat cushion. An alarm sounds if the driver moves too far away from the vehicle.
Source: AP
