It is estimated that over 200 fatalities and 15,000 injuries in the U.S. each year are caused by cars and trucks backing up and hitting pedestrians. Thirty-one percent of those fatalities and injuries involve small children five years old and younger, with one-year-olds suffering the most. Tragically – 70% of these accidents occur with a parent behind the wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to do something about the problem and has just proposed a rulemaking reversing cameras mandatory on all light vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2018.
This news comes just weeks after a 7th-grade math teacher, Dawn Mallory-Bushor, at Rham Middle School in Hebron, was critically injured and later died after a parent, who was dropping off her children, accidentally backed into Mallory.
In related safety news, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) is seeking to have side mirrors replaced by cameras in future models. The organization claims that replacing side mirrors with small digital cameras inside the cabin of the car would reduce both drag and noise – while improving driver visibility.
While we wait for these safety improvements – what can each of us do now to reduce the number of these tragic accidents?
Steps To Prevent a Pedestrian Accident:
- Always walk all the way around your car or truck before moving it.
- Make sure your children move to a place where you can easily see them from the driver’s seat – and make sure they are far enough away so that you can stop in time if they move.
- Teach children that a “parked” car or truck might move. Teach them that even though they can “see” the car or truck, the driver probably can’t see them.
- Measure the size of your blind zone (area) behind the vehicle(s) you drive. A 5-foot-1-inch driver in a pickup truck can have a rear blind zone of approximately 8 feet wide by 50 feet long.
- Teach your child NEVER to play around a vehicle and keep all toys and sports equipment off of your driveway.
If you or your child are ever struck by a car, know that the Connecticut car accident lawyers at RisCassi & Davis have been assisting pedestrians injured in these kinds of accidents for almost 60 years. And we have received both state and national recognition for our work in this area. If you are ever in a car accident of any kind and would like a free consultation with one of our Connecticut car accident lawyers please contact us.
There is no obligation. And – there is no fee or other costs unless we are successful on your behalf.