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New US law to prevent accidents from reversing cars
New legislation has been rolled out in the US to improve car rear visibility to preventing accidents from reversing cars.
All cars have a rear blind zone – an area where the driver can’t see what’s behind them. In the US, accidents caused by a reversing vehicle are known as ‘backover accidents’. Because of their small size, children and particularly toddlers, are especially at risk.
The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing that vehicle manufacturers take significant steps to expand the required field of view, and it understood that by September 2014, all new vehicles in the US will be fitted with a rear view camera.
The NHTSA estimate that, in the US, backover accidents in the U.S account for 292 deaths per year and 18,000 injuries. Approximately half of these involve children under five.
Find out more on the Consumer Reports blog:
For advice on around-car safety, the Iain Goodwill Trust has an excellent website. Iain, who was just 17 months old. was killed by an accidently started car in October 2007. He was just 17 months old.
