We’ve heard way too many horror stories about children being left out in the back seat of a car while their parents enter a store or go pay the gas attendant. Let’s not forget all those broken windows that resulted from a valuable item being exposed to prying eyes.
The 2017 GMC Acadia aims to change that with the new Rear Seat Reminder, an industry-first safety and security feature designed to remind drivers to check the back seat as they exit their vehicle under certain circumstances.
This comes after it was revealed that about half of the children under age 14 who die of in-vehicle heatstroke each year in the U.S. do so as a result of being forgotten.
How does the Rear Seat Reminder work? It simply activates when either rear door is opened and closed within 10 minutes before the vehicle is started, or if they are opened and closed while the vehicle is running. Under these circumstances, the next time the vehicle is turned off after a door activation, the 2017 GMC Acadia is designed to sound five audible chimes and display a message in the driver information centre that reads “Rear Seat Reminder / Look in Rear Seat.”
The Rear Seat Reminder comes standard with all trim levels except Limited.