The Waze GPS app is stepping up to help parents by launching a new feature that reminds you to check the backseat for your little ones. We’ve all seen those tragic headlines during the summer months—parents, caught up in the whirlwind of daily life, unintentionally leave their children in hot cars. In the past two decades, over 700 children have lost their lives due to this dreadful oversight, with 26 fatalities recorded in the U.S. in 2016 alone.
When such tragedies occur, you can always find the judgmental comments from self-proclaimed perfect parents online, declaring that anyone who forgets their child in a vehicle doesn’t deserve to be a parent. However, the reality is that mistakes happen. A staggering 54% of hot car fatalities result from children being accidentally left behind, while 29% involve kids getting into unattended cars. Regardless of the cause, these incidents are heartbreaking, and any measures to prevent them should be welcomed.
Introducing the Child Reminder Feature
Enter Waze with its beta feature called “child reminder.” This handy tool will send you a nudge upon arriving at your destination, prompting you to check the backseat and ensure your child is safe. For those unfamiliar, Waze is the go-to navigation app for modern parents, favored for its real-time traffic updates and seamless route adjustments—no need to touch your phone while driving. Plus, it keeps everyone informed about arrival times when you’re meeting friends, so you can avoid those awkward “On the way!” texts.
Currently in beta testing, this child reminder feature isn’t available everywhere yet. However, you can customize notifications to remind you not just to check for kids, but also for other tasks, like swapping your flip-flops for office shoes. While some parents use tricks like leaving their purse or one shoe in the backseat as reminders, using the Waze app offers an extra layer of safety.
Addressing Criticism
You’d think that anything aimed at saving a child’s life would be applauded, but some critics quickly label parents who need such reminders as unfit. Comments like, “If you need an app to remember your child, you don’t deserve them” or “How sad that we’ve reached a point where an app is needed to track our kids” abound. But let’s face it—parenting isn’t perfect. Routines can change, distractions happen, and those tragic oversights can occur to anyone. It’s all too easy to say, “I would never forget,” until the day you do. Criticizing parents for being human won’t stop these accidents.
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Conclusion
In summary, Waze’s new feature aims to prevent tragic accidents by reminding parents to double-check their backseat for children. While judgment from others may arise, it’s vital to acknowledge that parenting can be challenging, and reminders can be lifesavers.