Nissan develops system to prevent children from being left inside vehicles

Nissan Motor Corp. said it has developed a safety system that prevents children from being accidentally left inside vehicles used by nursery schools and kindergartens.

The Nissan vehicles used as school buses can be used as the system, and sales will begin at Nissan dealers nationwide in June.

The system is designed for 2,000 Caravan vans and Civilian microbuses that are often used by schools, according to the company.

When the engine is turned off, the system automatically plays a recording that urges the driver to confirm that no one is left in the vehicle and to press a button in the back after doing so. If the driver forgets to push the button, an alarm is sounded.

The switch that allows children left inside to sound an alarm outside the vehicle is included in the system.

In the wake of the accidents involving children who were left alone in school buses, the government will mandate safety devices on vehicles used by kindergartens and kindergartens to prevent them from being left inside. A one-year transition period will be established for the requirement.

A 3 year-old girl died of heatstroke after being left inside a bus at a childcare facility in Shizuoka Prefecture in September.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce such equipment in April, and the development and sales of such safety devices is accelerating.