Rear Seat Reminders Mandated by New Italian Law
Photo: North Dakota
Italy is working to prevent drivers from accidentally leaving children in their vehicles with the introduction of a new law. The Italian law mandates that drivers with children under the age of four must have a device that can warm them when their children are left in their vehicles.
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A breakdown of the Italian law
The number of infants and children who pass away from being in hot cars is on the rise in Italy. With that in mind, Italian lawmakers created the new law to help prevent more tragedies from occurring.
Parents of young children will need to purchase and then install devices into their vehicles, which will send a smartphone notification or set off an alarm if a parent leaves a child in the backseat. These aftermarket devices are available online and in stores.
If parents have already installed the devices, they can submit a receipt or proof of purchase to the government and receive a reimbursement, as long as they present the proper documentation. Those who do not follow the law could lose points from their licenses or pay a fine. If parents have multiple offenses, they could have a suspension that lasts a minimum of 15 days.
The relevance in the U.S.
Like Italy, the U.S. has also seemed to have a recent rise in hot car deaths. Each year, an average of 38 children in the U.S. die after being left inside hot vehicles. 59 children died just last year.
Many automakers have rear seat reminders come standard in vehicles to help prevent these deaths. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers is also attempting to require that rear-seat alerts come standard in all new trucks and cars by 2025.
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Hopefully, rear seat-alerts and reminders can help solve this important problem and save lives in each country going forward.
News Source: The Drive
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