Backover accidents still make up a large percentage of accidents in the United States. This is one of the most unfortunate accidents because victims are usually children. Many parents have grieved because they accidentally hit their children while backing up out of the garage. But, do you know that there is now a law regarding this? Yes there is, and it’s called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. It is named after Cameron Gulbransen, a 2-year-old who dies in 2002 after his Dad’s SUV backed over him. This law is also referred to the “Kids and Cars Act.”

This law focuses on three important factors. As parents, it’s a must for you to be familiar with what these are so that you can avoid the unfortunate and devastating backover accident. The law is comprehensive that it also covers what vehicle makers and traffic administrators should do in order to help in this aspect.

Rear visibility. The U.S. Department of Transportation must establish a standard within three years to provide drivers with ways to detect a person, including a small child, behind a vehicle. This could be done with additional mirrors, sensor devices, cameras or other technology and may differ by vehicle. All vehicles must be in compliance within four years of the rule’s enactment. Presumably, automakers could meet whatever standard is developed either by changing vehicle design, adding technology such as cameras and sensors, or both.

Power windows. The DOT has 18 months to decide if power windows that automatically reverse direction if they hit an obstruction, including a child, are “reasonable, practicable and appropriate.” If so, DOT will have a year to develop a rule. If not, DOT will have to explain its decision to Congress.

Gearshifts. By September 1, 2010, every car and truck sold in the United States must have a mechanism that prevents it from being shifted out of Park unless a foot is on the brake. This is designed to prevent children from accidentally putting a car into gear, causing it to roll.

Photo Credit: Radarbackupsystems      

Source: Edmunds

As heads of the family, what should parents’ priority be? Of course there is only one answer to that – the children. Making the children a priority involves keeping them safe at all times. Toddlers and pre-schoolers most especially do not have much notion of the dangers that could happen to them each day so, as a mom or a dad, you have to keep your eyes on them as much as possible. Accidents can happen anytime, even at home where you thought they’d be safe enough. In an article recently published by newsvine.com, almost 100 children were killed and 2,000 were injured in 2007 when they were backed over by cars in residential driveways. 100 is already a very big number considering it happened in residential areas. Defined, “a backover incident typically occurs when a car coming out of a driveway or parking space backs over a child because the driver did not see him or her.”

According to Kids and Cars, a safety group that gather information about backover accidents and injuries, about 2 children die every week from such an accident. These deaths are unnecessary as said by Judith Lee Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. This number will only lessen if and when cars are better equipped with safety features that provide improved rear vision and enhanced capability of identifying children and pedestrians in the driveway.

The number of deaths from backover accidents is very alarming. Politicians like former New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pushed a bill that obligated future vehicles to have more safety features like mirrors, sensors, and others. The nearest date that these additional features will be installed is 2010.

However, even if cars come with these additional safety features, it is still best to educate yourself and your children about backover incidents. As the cliché goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” So, here are some backover incident prevention tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

Prevention Tips:
• Teach children not to play in or around cars
• Supervise children carefully when in and around vehicles
• Always walk around your vehicle and check the area around it before backing up.
• Be aware of small children-the smaller a child, the more likely it is you will not see them.
• Teach children to move away from a vehicle when a driver gets in it or if the car is started.
• Have children in the area stand to the side of the driveway or sidewalk so you can see them as you are backing out of a driveway or parking space.
• Make sure to look behind you while backing up slowly in case a child dashes behind your vehicle unexpectedly.
• Take extra care if you drive a large vehicle because they are likely to have bigger blind zones. Roll down your windows while backing out of your driveway or parking space so that you’ll be able to hear what is happening outside of your vehicle.
• Teach your children to keep their toys and bikes out of the driveway.
• Because kids can move unpredictably, you should actively check your mirrors while backing up.
• Many cars are equipped with detection devices like backup cameras or warning sounds, but they cannot take the place of you actively walking around your car to make sure your children are safely out of the way. Do not rely solely on these devices to detect what’s behind your vehicle.

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