Gangdong-gu, headed by Mayor Lee Jung-hun, will install the Sleeping Child Check device on all 106 commuter buses of daycare centers in its jurisdiction by the end of the year with the budget of KRW 21.2 million.

The installation comes in response to a string of accidents involving children where a child suffered a brain death in 2016 in Gwangju Metropolitan City after being left alone for long on a commuter bus of a kindergarten, and a girl died after being left behind in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The device triggers an emergency horn if the driver exits a door without pressing the safety bell installed in the very end of the bus, allowing the driver to naturally confirm no children are left behind in the back seat.

Aside from the safety bell, near field communication (NFC) technology will be adopted. Guardians on the same bus can use their smartphones to inform parents of information on children being transported in real time to ease their concerns.

“We will install the Sleeping Child Check device as soon as possible to ensure the safety of our children,” said Mayor Lee Jung-hun, adding that “we will make every effort to create a safe environment for children’s education by continuously checking the compliance of vehicle safety rules.”

<Related Photos>

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  Sleeping Child Check device

  

  Image of the deactivation bell

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