The traffic up ahead and the time to your destination will hardly matter if once you get there you forget your kid is in the car. The traffic app Waze is adding an option to remind drivers who are transporting children about what’s important.
Because kids getting left in hot cars is a scary and deadly reality, Waze’s Child Reminder feature allows drivers to set a reminder, to be triggered once they reach their destination, according to a post at Android Police.
The feature is in beta and can be found under the settings. It allows a custom message to be applied to the alert.
GeekWire has previously reported on a device called Sense A Life, which uses sensors attached to the car seat and the driver’s door to alert drivers to remember that someone is in back.
Meanwhile, Waze is trying other tactics to keep its users safe, as a new release is coming to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this week ahead of the Olympics. According to Wired, the app will be issuing Crime Risk alerts to warn drivers if they are entering a neighborhood identified as “high crime.”
The word “caution” and a red exclamation point will show up on screen for drivers who get turned around in Rio and head off in what’s considered a bad direction. The feature is not without controversy, as Wired points out that having your community labeled as dangerous is not exactly a positive distinction. Waze’s well-meaning intentions may end up just being offensive to lower-income neighborhoods.
