The high temperatures in the summer season often leads to tragic deaths such as the case of an 11-month-old baby who died of heatstroke this month in Florida. This news, which has sparked national concern, is now being addressed by a piece of technology that ensures parents and other adults never leave children inside the car. The product called Evenflo Embrace DLX Infant Car Seat was unveiled Thursday and it electronically reminds parents that a baby is in the back seat.
The death of the toddler in Florida was surprising because the parents were only unloading groceries and the brief time they took to finish the chore was enough to cause the toddler's death. Experts warn that parents should never do this as the temperature inside the car can rapidly rise especially in this season, which guarantees up to 120-degrees inside a car on an 80-degree day, according to CBS News.
The Evenflo Embrace DLX Infant Car Seat features the so-called SensorSafe Technology, which automatically sounds an alarm every time the engine is turned off. "Upon arrival at your destination, the Evenflo SensorSafeTM Technology will generate a series of tones, reminding you that your baby is present in the vehicle. These tones are activated through a smart chest clip and wireless receiver," Evenflo stated in its website.
Experts point out that caregivers tend to forget the babies inside the car and this is not even a case of bad parenting, CBS News reported. A two-year old child was rescued in Kansas last Saturday, for instance, after the caregiver claimed the child, who was asleep in the backseat, slipped his mind, according to WBTV. Kristy Arbogast, traffic safety author said, "It could happen to anyone," in the CBS News report.
Jason Tanz, editor-at-large at Wired magazine tested the Evenflo car seat and said, "It seems impossible that you would forget that your baby is in the car, but you're exhausted, the seat's facing the other way, you're sort of going by muscle memory, and you can forget the baby is in the car.
"So this is a reminder using Wi-Fi, using a sensor to keep your baby safe," Tanz added during an interview with Today.
The car seat will be available on Walmart and evenflo.com starting July 24 and it will retail at $149.88.
