Anti-abandonment baby alarm now compulsory in Italian cars A device to avoid forgetting children in cars has been compulsory in Italy for those transporting children since November, punishable by a heavy fine and the loss of points on the driving licence. Two Italian fathers, Michele Servalli and Carlo Donati, invented the device that signals when a child is left in a car seat when the engine is switched off. They came up with the idea in 2008 after hearing on the radio that a baby had died after being left in a car. The concept is simple: when the car's engine is switched off, a sensor installed under the car seat emits an audible signal to alert the driver. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES