During the scorching summer months, just a few minutes inside a hot parked car can pose a serious risk to children. Sadly, many still leave them unattended in such conditions.
To address this critical issue, Nissan has developed a new feature designed to alert drivers if they might have left something—or someone—in the back seat of their parked vehicle. This innovative idea, conceived by Nissan engineers Elsa Foley and Marlene Mendoza, was inspired by a personal experience of Mendoza’s. After mistakenly leaving a pan of lasagna in her car, which continued to emit a strong scent for days, she, as a mother of three, contemplated the potential dangers of forgetting something more vulnerable in the vehicle.
As a result, the Rear Door Alert system was created. It functions by monitoring the rear door switches at both the start and end of a journey, checking if there might be anything—or anyone—left behind as the driver departs. The primary scenario for activation occurs when the rear door is opened at the trip’s start but not closed before the driver leaves. In such cases, the Nissan alerts the driver through a dash notification followed by a series of distinctive horn chirps.
Nissan announced that this feature will be standard on all 2018 Pathfinder crossovers set to launch this September and will eventually extend to other Nissan models.
It’s worth noting that not every Nissan owner frequently transports children, so the system can be easily turned off or adjusted as needed. For those without children who choose to keep it activated, this feature could significantly reduce the chances of forgetting items like Amazon packages or homemade lasagna in the back seat.
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