Lawmakers Look to Mandate Child Safety Technology

U.S. lawmakers and European safety regulators are considering the possibility of mandating "child presence detection" systems in order to avoid hot-car deaths of unattended children.

Aug. 19, 2019

Aug. 19, 2019—European safety regulators and US lawmakers are considering the possibility of mandating “child presence detection" systems in order to avoid hot-car deaths of unattended children, reported ET Auto.

The European New Car Assessment Programme ( Euro NCAP), has announced that 2022 onward, it will provide ratings for child presence detection. The car must have a feature that can detect a child left in a car and notify the owner or emergency services.

Automakers have also started demands for solutions to the hot-car problem. Some carmakers have already introduced similar features. For example, General Motors came up with Rear Seat Reminder in 2016 with the 2017 model-year GMC Acadia. Hyundai Motor America offers Rear Occupant Alert as an optional feature on its 2019 model year Santa Fe and 2020 Palisade.