Well, that better solution appears to have arrived, and more are around the corner. Siemens Automotive says it will produce the first integrated child seat presence and orientation detection (COD) and passenger presence detection (PPD) system for 1997 production vehicles. (Penton Media, Inc.)

The Passenger Presence Detection system detects the presence of a passenger in the right front seat. If no passenger is recognized on the front passenger seat, the deployment of the front passenger and/or side airbag and seat belt pre-tensioner will be prevented. (Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc.)

Recommended by the AIRBAG Task Force of the German automotive industry, Passenger Presence Detection (PPD) systems have been in series production since the beginning of 1994. (Steadlands International Marketing Limit)