Twins who died after being left in the back seat of a car spurred Dr. James Robertson, a pediatrician in Regina, to do something. In order to help safeguard the most vulnerable passengers, he turned to modern technology to develop a smartphone app, Back Seat Safety. Upon exiting the vehicle, the app prompts the parent or caregiver to check the back seat for precious cargo.
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Back Seat Safety app specs
The affordable ($1.49 cost), easy-to-use, maintenance-free app hopes to curb the sobering statistics of children dying after being left behind in a car. Developed in partnership with Narmer Technology Incorporated, Robertson’s Back Seat Safety app is available for download from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Forgotten Baby Syndrome study
Recently, researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto determined that six children have died since 2013 as a result of being left behind in a car that reached hazardous interior temperatures.
“On a sunny day, the interior temperature of a vehicle can rise to dangerous levels within a short period of time. For example, an outside temperature of 22.2 degrees Celsius can result in an interior temperature above 40 degrees Celsius in just an hour,” says Dr. Jolene Huber, principal investigator of the study, Developmental Pediatrician at SickKids, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. “These temperatures are extremely dangerous and can lead to hyperthermia.”
Sometimes referred to as “Forgotten Baby Syndrome,” the reality of children being left in hot parked cars has a couple of circulating theories. Current hypotheses include:
- Canadian laws requiring passengers 12 and under to ride in the backseat can result in an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality of the driver
- Hectic schedules and stress of parents and caregivers override their focus
“Incidents of pediatric deaths as a result of being left in a hot vehicle are preventable,” says Huber. “In today’s high-speed world, increasing awareness about the dangers of leaving children unattended is particularly important to hopefully lead to a decrease in fatal occurrences.”
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Hopefully, with more attention brought to the heartbreaking tragedy of kids dying in hot cars and the development of apps such as Back Seat Safety, parents and caregivers will be better equipped to protect their young passengers.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.