ALBANY – Following the recent tragic deaths of one-year-old twins from New City when their father forgot they were in the back seat of his car and he went to work, State Senator David Carlucci (D, Nanuet) introduced legislation requiring automobile manufacturers to install a rear seat detection system on every vehicle sold in New York State.
That would alert a driver if a child or pet is left behind.
The measure, called the Heatstroke Elimination Awareness Technology (HEAT) Act, would require car companies to be in compliance by July 1, 2021.
“Being a parent and seeing what happened to a New City father, motivated me to bring this legislation forward,” said Carlucci. “We know the technology exists, and it’s time a rear seat detection system comes standard on vehicles just like seatbelts or airbags.”
According to KidsAndCars.org, more than 900 children died in hot cars nationwide since 1990. The deadliest year on record was 2018. Last year, 53 children died of heatstroke, and on average, 38 children die per year as the result of being left in a hot car.
