US DOT Proposes New Rule to Increase Rear View Visibility to Protect Children and Elderly
It’s something we write about all the time. Kids playing in a driveway or running up to a SUV to say goodbye to their parent, only to be run over by the driver who just couldn’;t see the small person behind the large SUV. It has happened so often, with 292 fatalities and 18,000 injuries occurring every year from back-up crashes, that the government is requiring auto manufacturers to increase the visibility behind large vehicles.
A new proposal by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that was issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would require the expansion of the field of view behind SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks, by requiring a rear-mounted video camera with an in-vehicle display on all new vehicles by September 2014. The proposed rule was part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, named for a two-year-old who was killed by his father behind the wheel of an SUV in the family driveway.
The Jacksonville car accident lawyers at Farah & Farah remind parents that no technology can make up for being mindful of the possibility that a small child, an animal, or an elderly person that may be around the rear of your vehicle as you back out of a driveway. Before you start your car, make sure no one is behind you before backing up. It is the person who is in a hurry and distracted that is most likely to be surprised by what they can encounter when they are not paying attention.
