Proposal would require vehicles to have rear-seat detection systems
Local lawmakers say they will not wait for the federal government to do something about the increasing number of child fatalities due to vehicular heat stroke.
News 12 Staff
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Aug 1, 2019, 7:32 PM
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Updated 1,738 days ago
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Local lawmakers say they will not wait for the federal government to do something about the increasing number of child fatalities due to vehicular heat stroke.
State Sen. David Carlucci proposed new legislation in Albany that would require all vehicles manufactured after the spring of 2021 to have rear-seat detection system to be registered in the state. The new bill, if passed, would not apply to older cars.
Some cars, including many GM and Nissan models, already have this technology, which alerts drivers when they don't open a back door or when motion is detected in the back seat after a car's engine has been shut off. Hyundai also recently announced most models of its vehicles would have rear-seat detection systems by 2022.
A similar bill has been in Washington, D.C. for years, but Carlucci wants to act now.
The proposal comes days after a set of twins died when they were left in a car for several hours by their father, who is from Rockland County. Last year, 52 children died after being left behind in hot cars.
