In recent years, vehicular occupant safety has received increasing attention. Two issues -in particular- remain: a) seat belt usage rates on the rear seats are lower, in some regions dramatically lower, than those on the front seats, and b) children left unattended in vehicles and dying of heatstroke (on average 37 fatalities per year in the US alone). Safety stakeholders in several parts of the world have increased pressure on addressing these issues, and are pushing for other innovations, such that the situation in the vehicle’s cabin is better understood. For example, Euro NCAP has introduced incentives to tackle both issues and the market has responded positively. Sensor technology evolution has provided better possibilities to offer realistic solutions and sensor fusion will help to further optimize functionalities.
