In an effort to enhance child safety, the popular GPS navigation app, Waze, has introduced a new feature designed to remind parents to check the backseat for their little ones. Each summer, we hear heartbreaking stories of parents who, overwhelmed by their busy lives, inadvertently leave their children in hot cars. Over the past two decades, more than 700 children have tragically lost their lives due to this oversight, with 26 such deaths reported in the U.S. in just 2016.
Despite the harsh criticism often directed at parents who experience these accidents, it’s crucial to acknowledge that anyone can make a mistake. In fact, 54% of hot car fatalities result from children being forgotten in vehicles, while 29% occur when kids get into unattended cars. Regardless of the cause, these incidents are devastating, and any tool that can help prevent them deserves support.
Waze’s new “child reminder” feature, currently in beta testing, aims to reduce these tragic occurrences. Once you reach your destination, the app will prompt you to check the backseat, helping parents remember their child is there. If you’re not familiar with Waze, it’s a user-friendly navigation app favored over others for its real-time traffic updates and seamless route adjustments, ensuring a smoother journey.
While this child reminder feature is still being rolled out, it offers customization options, allowing users to set reminders for various tasks upon arrival, from checking for kids to swapping shoes before heading into the office. Some parents have adopted methods like placing their purse or left shoe in the backseat as reminders, but integrating this feature into a GPS app can add an extra layer of safety.
However, it’s unfortunate that some critics have responded with negativity towards parents who might need such reminders. Comments like “If you need a reminder your child is in the car, you don’t deserve your child” reflect a lack of empathy for the challenges parents face. Life can be unpredictable; routines change, distractions arise, and mistakes happen. Tragically, the loss of a child is a harrowing experience that no parent should endure.
Kudos to Waze for taking steps to address this serious issue. For more on family planning and options available, you can visit this excellent resource. And if you’re interested in exploring methods for home insemination, check out this informative blog post. For those looking for a reliable insemination kit, Make a Mom is a great authority on the topic!
Summary
Waze has introduced a new feature to remind parents to check their backseats for children, aiming to prevent tragic hot car deaths. While the app is still in beta, it offers a helpful reminder that can be customized. Despite some criticism from internet trolls, it’s essential to recognize that accidents can happen to anyone.