A new study discovered that hot cars can lead to fatalities in as little as an hour for children and pets trapped inside.
We hear stories of children dying in hot cars too often. The latest accident happened in Texas when a 9-month-old baby died after being left unattended.
READ ALSO: 9-Month-Old Baby Dies After Being Left In Scorching Hot Car
Awful situations like that made a 45-year-old father-of-three from Arizona to look for ways to help parents. Erin J. O’Connor has been working on an app to put an end to this devastating epidemic.
The free app is called the BackSeat and can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android devices. Erin commented:
It’s a special kind of hell knowing you've been working on a project that would stop this from happening and you haven’t been able to get it out there in time. Not one more, not with The Backseat App.
The app automatically turns on when you start driving more than 20mph. When you stop moving, the app will send a reminder that your children are still in the car.
If you dismiss the reminder, after 6 minutes the app will start sending half a dozen text messages and emails, increasing the loudness of the alert sound.
READ ALSO: One-Year-Old Girl Was Left In A Hot Car For Hours Until A Police Officer Came To The Rescue
If you still don’t respond, three contacts you chose in the app will be sent a notification with your GPS location.
Since 1989, there have been 853 cases in a total of children who died from heatstroke after being left in a hot car. On average, thirty-seven kids die each year from this cause.
Texas, Florida, and California have had the most hot-car fatalities in the past 20 years with Arkansas and Louisiana coming at the top of the list.
O’Connor claims if you use his app, it is “impossible to lose a child.”
READ ALSO: Heartbreaking! Baby Dies In A Hot Car After Dad Forgot To Drop Her Off At Daycare