GM's new Rear Seat Reminder aims to save kids from heatstroke

General Motors is adding a new feature to one of its key crossover models aimed at helping to prevent kids or pets from being left behind while the vehicle is parked in the hot summer sun.

The 2017 GMC Acadia will be equipped with chimes and alerts that warn the driver to check the back seat of the vehicle before they get out. It's called Rear Seat Reminder.

It works only when either of the rear doors are opened and closed while the vehicle is running, or within 10 minutes before the vehicle is started — as if kids or pets were being placed in the rear seat. In that case, it flashes the message on the instrument panel: "Look in Rear Seat" while sounding the chimes.

“Whether it’s your lunch, laptop, pet or most importantly, your child, it’s easier than it seems to forget what’s in the back seat when moving between life’s events,” said Tricia Morrow, a GM global safety strategy engineer, in a statement. “With this new feature, we are leading the charge to address this ongoing problem.”

Rear Seat Reminder will come as a standard feature on the Acadia, and though it cannot detect whether there is anything — or anyone — in the back seat, it is intended to serve as a helpful reminder.