It is every drivers worst nightmare
– – backing their vehicle up and unexpectedly striking the person behind you.
This happens more than you would think as Business Week recently
reported that every year 292 people die and 18,000 are injured by back overaccidents. Based on this epidemic, former President Bush signed into law the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act in
2008. The law was named for a two-year-old boy who was killed in 2002 when an
SUV driven by his father backed over him. The law gave National Highway
Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) three years to come up with
new rules to “reduce death and injury resulting from backing incidents” by
requiring “additional mirrors, sensors, cameras, or other technology to expand
the driver’s field of view.”
As a result, the
NHTSA is expected to issue a regulation requiring rear-view cameras on all
new automobiles sold in the U.S. starting in 2014. NHTSA says the cameras will
cut the number of deaths by half, to 146 a year. Yet the auto industry is
questioning the prospective rule, calling it an example of overregulation by
the federal government. NHTSA estimates it will cost automakers as much as
$2.7 billion to install the devices on 16 million cars every year, which
works out to about $18.5 million per life saved.
There has been quite a
bit of backlash from the auto industry due to the increased costs that they will bear. Does
the auto industry have a viable argument? Were these same auto giants
making the same arguments when the government began requiring seat belts in the
early 1960s or later when they were required to add air bags. I think this is
the cost of doing business and that consumers are due fair protection from the
products placed in the open market. Once could argue that the new regulation is a little
overreaching. This could be true, but I believe – – at a bare minimum – – auto
makers should be required to install rear-view cameras on all SUVs, truck and
vans as the line of sight behind them begins at approximately 20 feet, which
can make it impossible to see a small child directly behind the vehicle.
If you or someone you
love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago back overaccident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 32-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com
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