New laws can fight backover deaths
THE FOUR children backed over and killed in Hawaii in the past few months are
part of a tragic national pattern -- at least two children die each week in America in these backovers because drivers simply cannot see behind their
vehicles. Consumer Reports
has measured blind zones as
large as 69 feet long and 7 feet
wide, longer than many driveways.
When 62 three-year-olds
stand behind a Chevy Suburban
and not one can be seen
from the driver's seat, this is a
tragedy waiting to happen.
If we can reduce or eliminate
a safety risk for a reasonable
cost and we have the
technology to do so, we
should use it. That is the motivation
behind the Cameron
Gulbransen Kids and Cars
Safety Act, which has broad
bipartisan support.
How much is the life of a
child worth? Consumers pay
far more for DVD players,
chrome wheels or chilled and
heated cup holders than the
cost of these safety devices.
Yes, parents must take primary
responsibility for their
children, but you can't avoid
hitting what you can't see.
Moreover, the parents we
know whose children have
been backed over -- and we
know too many -- are conscientious,
caring and loving
people. Many did, in fact, walk
around their vehicles before
getting in, but as we know,
children can get into harm's
way in a matter of seconds.
The Star-Bulletin's position
(Our opinion, April 10) seems
to be that parents have all the
responsibility and that neither
government nor those who
design the product should
play a role in protecting children.
If that principle were
true, thousands of children
would be dead today from
garage doors that used to
crush kids but now have a
safety sensor that opens them
if they detect an obstruction,
from medicines or poisons
that now have safety caps or
lids, or from car trunks or refrigerators
that could trap and
suffocate children but are now
designed with release mechanisms.
All these design fixes
came at a modest cost --
most mandated by Congress
when industry failed to take
action -- but they have prevented
countless tragedies.
The Star Bulletin calls legislation
mandating auto-reverse
power windows in all vehicles
"absurd" and minimizes the
risk that power windows pose.
In fact, a 1997 federal study
shows that at least 500 people,
many of them children whose
fingers have been amputated
or hands broken, are admitted
to emergency rooms each
year from power window injuries.
Yes, the number of children
dying from power
window strangulation might
be low, but it should be zero.
The technology to prevent every
one of these deaths costs
less than $9 a window. Fifteen
percent of cars sold in the
United States already have
this feature in the driver's side
window, and all four windows
automatically reverse in more
than 80 percent of vehicles
sold in Europe.
Many high-end vehicles feature
advanced safety technologies,
including rear-view
cameras that provide a
panoramic view behind the
vehicle. Eighty-five percent of
drivers in the same federal
study the Star-Bulletin quotes
say they find the cameras "effective
or very effective." But
safety shouldn't be a luxury
only for the affluent. As safety
advocates, we will continue to
educate parents and the media
about these dangers. It's
impossible to put a price on
the life of a child and with
these safety technologies
readily available at a modest
cost, we shouldn't have to.
Sally Greenberg is senior
counsel at the Consumers
Union in Washington, D.C.
Jackie Gillan is vice president
of Advocates for Highway and
Auto Safety in Washington.
Janette Fennell is the founder
and president of Kids And Cars,
based in Leawood, Kansas.
Editor's note: The April 10 editorial stated that human behavior is
the key factor in deaths from backover incidents. A federal study
has found that technology aimed at preventing such accidents still
will depend on the driver's diligence. The editorial also stated
that legislation aimed at preventing injuries or deaths caused by
power windows is unnecessary because current law already
requires car manufacturers to begin installing such preventive
technology next year.