Hyundai has announced a new rear-seat alert. And this one uses sensors to actually detect if there is someone back there who shouldn't be.
Forgetting a passenger in the back can have a tragic outcome. In the US, more than 38 children have died so far this year from heat stroke in hot cars. Most times, the parent or caregiver was unaware the child was even in the vehicle. In a hot car, it can take just a few minutes for heat to overwhelm a child.
GM was the first to add a rear seat reminder, debuting with the 2017 GMC Acadia. But that system didn't have any actual passenger sensors. Instead, it monitored the opening and closing of the rear doors to decide if an alert was necessary.
This new Hyundai system uses ultrasonic motion sensors to detect motion in the rear seats. It will also function when the vehicle has been turned off.
The Hyundai rear occupant alert will display a reminder to the driver on the instrument cluster when the vehicle is shut off. It then uses ultrasonic detectors to watch for movement in the rear seat after the vehicle is parked and locked.
Most importantly, if the sensor detects movement, it will honk the horn, flash the lights, and can even use Hyundai's Blue Link connected car system to send a text message to the driver's phone.
Hyundai plans to debut the feature on 2019 model year vehicles but didn't specify which models or trims would get the rear occupant alert system.
You may also like
