Waze Releases New Alert To Take Kids Out Of Cars

August, 7, 2016 |  Google-owned GPS driving app Waze  has released a new safety feature that reminds users not to forget their child, pet or other loved ones in the car before getting out. The feature, called “Child reminder,” was made available to the public on Thursday, when Waze released its latest update on app stores for Android and iOS. As reported by NoCamels, the feature comes amid concerns over recent child hot car deaths. Since 1998, there have been 37 child heatstroke fatalities on average per year in the U.S. There have already been 26 heatstroke deaths involving children in the U.S. since the beginning of this year.  Like Waze’s other safety features, “Child reminder” is opt-in. The alert can be turned on and off in the app’s “general settings.” Drivers who choose to keep the feature on can also customize the alert “to include their child’s name or pet’s name. The alert will only appear if a driver has entered a destination in Waze and has arrived at that destination. Founded in Israel in 2007 by Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine, Waze has built a solid reputation for the way it lets users share real-time traffic data, prompting Google to acquire the company for more than $1 billion in 2013.