Over the past few years, Hyundai has made a very obvious and conscious effort to enhance the safety technology available in their vehicles. The industry as a whole, in conjunction with entities such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Consumer Reports and even Congress, has strived toward not only improving these technologies and making their availability widespread, but actually requiring certain technologies to be standard. The most recent instance of this is rear seat reminder systems, such as the Rear Occupant Alert, which is already a standard feature in two Hyundai models.
[ READ MORE: How does Hyundai Rear Occupant Alert work? ]
“Heatstroke in vehicles is preventable and we are doing our part to prevent this. We have great systems that use both door logic memory and motion sensors to help prevent children and pets from being forgotten in the car, but it also helps in case children accidentally lock themselves in.”
– Mike O’Brien, Vice President of Product, Corporate and Digital Planning, Hyundai Motor America
What do rear seat reminder systems do?
Rear seat reminder systems, including Hyundai’s Rear Occupant Alert and Ultrasonic Rear Occupant Alert technologies, were designed to prevent pet and child deaths from heatstroke in vehicles. The systems often include door-logic technologies and/or ultrasonic sensors that enable the vehicle to detect movement in the second-row seats after the driver exits the vehicle and longs the doors. In the case of Hyundai’s ROA, if it detects this, the car will begin to honk and send an alert to the driver’s smartphone (if equipped with active Blue Link services).
Hyundai Models featuring ROA systems
Today, the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2020 Hyundai Palisade offer Rear Occupant Alert as standard safety technologies. Shoppers can upgrade these systems to the available Ultrasonic ROA option. When the 2020 Hyundai Sonata is released later this year, it too will feature standard ROA. However, Hyundai has gone on record stating that they plan to voluntarily make Rear Occupant Alert a standard feature on most of its new vehicles by the 2022 calendar year.
Be sure to check back on our blog often for updates on this technology and more!
