Deadly Reverse Car Accidents

The news media in Georgia frequently reports on tragic accidents in which young children are killed by cars traveling in reverse. Many times these accidents occur when a parent is backing out of a driveway or garage.
According to data from a recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shifting into reverse may be more dangerous than previously thought. According to the first study conducted on the issue, 221 people were killed by vehicles backing up in 2007. That is more than 4 deaths per week. In the same period, about 14,000 people were injured in backup accidents.
The United States Congress passed legislation last year to attempt to address the issue. The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, is named for a 2-year-old boy who was accidentally backed over and killed by his father on Long Island, New York. It was this legislation that prompted the new study.
The study found that backover accidents accounted for 19 percent of all nontraffic crash fatalities. It was the leading cause of death among nonoccupants involved in nontraffic crashes. Nontraffic accidents are those that occur in vehicles not on a public road, such as in driveways, parking lots and private roads.
The study was conducted with the intent of establishing guidelines for rearview visibility in cars, S.U.V.’s and minivans. Those rules for automakers from the Transportation Department are likely to be two years away. In the meantime, safety advocacy groups continue to push manufacturers and parents to install systems to mitigate the problem. Most solutions involve audible warnings or rearview cameras.
Several automakers already offer rearview cameras as an option, which show what is directly behind a car, displayed either on a dashboard navigation screen or on an LCD embedded in a rearview mirror. Aftermarket cameras and displays that can be installed by owners or dealerships are also available.