Backover Accidents of Children Gaining Attention of U.S. Safety Experts
It’s been called a public health issue that often doesn’t register on America’s radar screen, but a front page story in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune underscored the problem of “backover” vehicular deaths of small children. Romanucci & Blandin believes the issue is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Backover deaths and injuries occur when a driver is backing out of the driveway and can’t see the kids in the rearview mirror. These accidents spike in the summer when kids are out of school; the vehicle more often than not is an SUV. They’re called “non-traffic” fatalities because they involve vehicles not on the road. The government has not been regularly required to keep statistics on non-traffic incidents. No data, no problem, right?
But that may change. A new federal law mandates that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must now track deaths and injuries that occur of public roads. Illinois State Representative Jan Schakowsky co-sponsored the bill.
In addition to starting a database, the NHTSA must now amend safety rules to expand the required field of view for vehicles. Sensor-based parking aids don’t detect small children. Cameras, which show an image of what is behind the car, may be more effective.
