General Motors has invented a “rear seat reminder” that begins boinging if you’ve left someone in the rear seat as you get out. It will appear first on the 2017 Acadia SUV. The device is a response to annual incidents of children and pets left behind especially in hit weather. As many as 12 children died in the U.S. from heatstroke in cars, safety advocates say. It works like a seat belt reminder: a warning tone sounds and alerts drivers to “Look In Rear Seat,” with a message flashing in the center of the vehicle’s speedometer. The feature will be included by default in all new Acadias, GM’s global safety strategy engineer Tricia Morrow told CNNMoney, though you can shut it off if you choose to do so. The company says it will integrate the tool into other four-door GM models in the future. Consumerist
