Rear Seat Reminder will be available across more than 20 GM brand models

General Motors knows the feeling and has come up with a new feature that will make sure to prompt you to check the backseat before you walk away from your vehicle.

Called the Rear Seat Reminder, it will be offered across many of the models under the General Motors umbrella beginning 2018.

“GM’s Rear Seat Reminder feature is an initial step to use technology to help remind drivers to check the rear seat before exiting the vehicle under certain conditions. We want to help everyone to take one simple, extra step. That’s why Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac will offer the Rear Seat Reminder on a broad range of vehicles, from small cars to full-size SUVs and everything in between,” said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Vehicle Safety.

One alarming figure that has GM working on the Rear Seat Reminder were the 39 cases of children dying from heatstroke after being left in the backseat by adults.

The new feature is immediately activated as soon as the vehicle’s rear doors are opened and closed up to 10 minutes before the vehicle is started and even while the vehicle is still running.

When activated, it will chime five times and display a message in the driver information center saying ‘Rear Seat Reminder / Look in Rear Seat’ as soon as the vehicle is turned off.

“This new technology developed by General Motors will give busy parents and caregivers the important reminder to always check the back seat. The safest way to protect a child from heatstroke is to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, and features like Rear Seat Reminder, coupled with continued public education, can help combat this preventable tragedy,” said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide.

Rear Seat Reminder debuted early this year in the all-new 2017 GMC Acadia and will be soon available to several models including the following:

2017 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV

2017 Cadillac CT6

2017 Chevrolet Cruze and Cruze Hatchback

2017 Chevrolet Malibu

2017 Chevrolet Tahoe

2017 Chevrolet Suburban

2017 Chevrolet Silverado

2017 Chevrolet Colorado

2017 GMC Yukon

2017 GMC Yukon XL

2017 GMC Sierra

2017 GMC Canyon

2018 Cadillac XT5

2018 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V

2018 Cadillac ATS

2018 Chevrolet Equinox