Backover & Rollover
We are less vigilant in our driveways than when we are out on the streets or in public lots. That’s because our driveways are so familiar to us, and we pull in and out several times a day, every day of the year. But driveways are dangerous places, injuring thousands each year in the U.S. due to backover accidents, and killing hundreds of children, possibly more.
Unfortunately, accurate statistics are not available because these accidents are considered ‘non-traffic’ – they occur at private homes and aren’t always reported or recorded. But many believe these accidents and fatalities are on the rise due to the popularity of higher and larger vehicles such as full size pickup trucks and various-sized Sport Utility Vehicles.
One can only imagine the pain a family member must feel when they run over, and sometimes kill, their own daughter, son, niece or nephew. And it is a tragedy that can be prevented in a couple of ways, which are the subject of review and some debate among consumer groups today.
Let’s describe the exact problem that causes backovers to occur.
All vehicles have a blind spot – the place behind your vehicle that you cannot see in the side mirrors or rear view mirror — even if you crane your neck out the driver’s window. And in general, the larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot.
Blind spots for shorter drivers are even larger. And there are other contributing factors, like the elevation of the driver’s seat, the grade or slope of the driveway, and the shape and size of a vehicle’s windows and mirrors.
Now add that the smaller the child, the less likely you are to see them. So what can be done to prevent these tragedies?
There are somewhat obvious answers such as vigilance by parents and caretakers, rules against stepping into the driveway (teach children that it is a Danger Zone and don’t allow it to be a play area), and simply walking behind your vehicle immediately before getting in and backing up. Drivers should scan the yard and entire area surrounding the driveway and if any children are present, tell them to stay put or if they are little ones, make sure another adult is holding them.
Some experts are arguing for a visible safety standard for all vehicles. So auto manufacturers would have to reduce blind spots and make mirrors and windows meet certain requirements for better visibility of the rear of the vehicle. Legislation has been presented to enact this into a bill and many consumer groups are pushing Congress to adopt it.
Also, equipment can be installed in vehicles, such as rear-facing cameras, or sensors that give a warning sound when something is behind the vehicle. The solutions are pending, and are a current topic of debate. When you do an online search for ‘preventing backovers’ you’ll find countless websites and articles. This is a topic many people don’t think about, and if it does cross our minds, we think “it won’t happen to us.” But none of the families who run over their children expect it, and so increasing general awareness can go a long way toward prevention.
The bill that attempts to implement prevention is called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. Key points of this legislation are as follows:
Unfortunately, accurate statistics are not available because these accidents are considered ‘non-traffic’ – they occur at private homes and aren’t always reported or recorded. But many believe these accidents and fatalities are on the rise due to the popularity of higher and larger vehicles such as full size pickup trucks and various-sized Sport Utility Vehicles.
One can only imagine the pain a family member must feel when they run over, and sometimes kill, their own daughter, son, niece or nephew. And it is a tragedy that can be prevented in a couple of ways, which are the subject of review and some debate among consumer groups today.
Let’s describe the exact problem that causes backovers to occur.
All vehicles have a blind spot – the place behind your vehicle that you cannot see in the side mirrors or rear view mirror — even if you crane your neck out the driver’s window. And in general, the larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot.
Blind spots for shorter drivers are even larger. And there are other contributing factors, like the elevation of the driver’s seat, the grade or slope of the driveway, and the shape and size of a vehicle’s windows and mirrors.
Now add that the smaller the child, the less likely you are to see them. So what can be done to prevent these tragedies?
There are somewhat obvious answers such as vigilance by parents and caretakers, rules against stepping into the driveway (teach children that it is a Danger Zone and don’t allow it to be a play area), and simply walking behind your vehicle immediately before getting in and backing up. Drivers should scan the yard and entire area surrounding the driveway and if any children are present, tell them to stay put or if they are little ones, make sure another adult is holding them.
Some experts are arguing for a visible safety standard for all vehicles. So auto manufacturers would have to reduce blind spots and make mirrors and windows meet certain requirements for better visibility of the rear of the vehicle. Legislation has been presented to enact this into a bill and many consumer groups are pushing Congress to adopt it.
Also, equipment can be installed in vehicles, such as rear-facing cameras, or sensors that give a warning sound when something is behind the vehicle. The solutions are pending, and are a current topic of debate. When you do an online search for ‘preventing backovers’ you’ll find countless websites and articles. This is a topic many people don’t think about, and if it does cross our minds, we think “it won’t happen to us.” But none of the families who run over their children expect it, and so increasing general awareness can go a long way toward prevention.
The bill that attempts to implement prevention is called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. Key points of this legislation are as follows:
- Establishing reasonable rulemaking deadlines regarding child safety, applicable to all passenger motor vehicles, in three ways:
- Ensures that power windows and panels automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction, to prevent children from being trapped, injured or killed.
- Requires a rearward visibility performance standard that will provide drivers with a means of detecting the presence of a person behind the vehicle in order to prevent backup incidents involving death and injury, especially to small children and disabled people.
- Requires the vehicle service brake to be engaged in all key positions and while the key is out of the ignition, in order to prevent incidents resulting from children disengaging the gear shift and causing vehicles to roll away.
- Establishing a child safety information program, administered by the Secretary of Transportation. This will involve collecting non-traffic incident data, informing parents about these hazards to children and ways to mitigate them, as well as making this information available to the public through the Internet and other means.
To promote safety for children everywhere, we encourage you to support their bill. Contact your Congressmen and also, you can voice support at Write Your Representative website. Finally, here is a link to the bill itself.
Websites with more information on this subject include:
Kids in Cars
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration