App aims to prevent hot car child deaths by alerting parents

On average, 37 children die in cars due to heat exhaustion every year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As oppressive 90-plus-degree temperatures return day after day, parents must remember to double-check the backseat of their cars before you get out.

On average, 37 children die each year from heat exhaustion after being left inside of a hot car, according to the National Safety Council. 

News4Jax looked into a new app that aims to prevent hot car child deaths, and it appears the BackSeat app may become the next best reminder for busy moms, dads and child-caregivers.

The automatic alerting system app is designed to remind parents and caretakers of small children to not leave their little one sweltering in a hot car.

It takes about 15 minutes to set up with personal information for you, your child and an emergency contact. After the app is setup, it will remain in an active mode.

While in active mode the phone notifies the user at the beginning and end of each trip, but the most important notification appears after the trip ends.

Three minutes after the trip ends, an audible and visual notification are sent to alert the driver to check the backseats of their car.

If that initial notification is ignored, the app continues sending notifications every five seconds until a passcode is typed in.

The app is free and can be downloaded on Apple and Android devices.

Experts say you should not use the temperature on your dashboard to measure how hot it is on the inside.

The temperature inside of your non-air-conditioned vehicle is typically several degrees hotter than the temperature being shown on your car's screen.