Higher Risks for Backover Car Accidents in Phoenix and Elsewhere with NHTSA Delay

Every day, there are about four families across the U.S. that have the unfortunate task of burying a loved one who is killed as a result of a backover car accidents. What’s even worse is that many times these loved ones are children who have been backed over by a motor vehicle and killed, according to AZ Central. Many times, these accidents happen when a child or an elderly loved one gets caught in a vehicle’s blind spots. These accidents are a top concern for officials, but it seems that the solution may be a little farther away than we initially thought.Safe-driving advocates have been saying for years that these types of car accidents in Phoenix and elsewhere could be prevented if more vehicles were equipped with rear-view cameras. We could have seen more cars with this technology a lot sooner if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had kept to its initial proposals to have camera technology in all new-model vehicles by 2014. While officials were supposed to finalize this rule in late February, it has now been postponed until later this year. Pressure from the automobile industry is being blamed for the delay.

Our Arizona car accident attorneys understand that nearly 115 lives could be saved if all new-model cars had these rear-view cameras. In addition to that, officials believe the technology has the ability to prevent more than 7,500 injuries. Officials with the NHTSA have been working to require backover cameras in new cars to help to reduce these risks.

“While the Department has made progress toward a final rule to improve rearward visibility, it has decided that further study and data analysis — including of a wider range of vehicles and drivers — is important to ensure the most protective and efficient rule possible,” said the NHTSA.

Now, the final rule may not be issued until the 31st of December.

According to Janette Fennell, president and founder of KidsAndCars.org, this is the third delay this rule has been through. She says that already in 2012, she knows of 11 kids who have been killed in these kinds of accidents. There could be many more. She adds that were only going to see more until someone does something about it.

About four years ago, Congress first passed the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act. This act was a result of a backover accident in which a father ran over his 2-year-old child in his own driveway.

Nationwide statistics reveal that there are nearly 250 people killed and another 17,000 injuries every year in backover accidents that involve a passenger vehicle.

“Every vehicle has a blind zone immediately behind the rear bumper,” said Ami Gadhia with the Consumers Union.

If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in car accident in Arizona, contact us online or call (866) 99-ABELS to schedule a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, and there are no lawyer fees unless a recovery is made on your behalf.

Additional Resources:

Feds delay on new rule for vehicle backover deaths, by Brian Haas, AZ Central
More Blog Entries:

Phoenix Car Accidents to be Reduced Under New Guidelines, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, March 2, 2012

Phoenix Pedestrians at Risk for Injury by Silent Hybrid Vehicles, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, February 20, 2012