Hundreds of small children are killed or injured each year in the U.S. when a car backs up over them. Now, an advocacy group is calling for mandatory backup cameras for new cars, but some don't believe that's the best solution. What do you think?
Most often, these tragedies happen at home. Dr. Kevin Whitelaw, an emergency room doctor, treats victims every year. "We've seen kids with no injuries, we screen them and send them home, we've seen kids who had torso or chest or head run over and died from those injuries," he says.
KidsAndCars.org asked seven California hospitals to collect information about back-over injuries and fatalities from January 2005 to June 2007. The data found 46 kids were killed and 100 injured. That's just in California over those few years.
All cars have a blind spot in the back. The bigger the car, the bigger the blind spot, and toddlers can be as far as ten feet away and be virtually invisible.
To help prevent these types of accidents, the group wants rear view cameras to be required in all new American-made cars. But some in the auto industry say it will cost too much.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association has been considering a mandate since December 2010.
Dr. Whitelaw worries rear-view cameras might give drivers a false sense of security. "I'd be concerned that people would glance in rear view camera, not see a child and then back up," he says. "And what they should be doing is just being aware of the children that are in the vicinity of the car."
Do you think rear view cameras are a god idea? Is it too costly for the auto industry? Would you pay more for a car with a rear view camera? Leave your thoughts below.
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