Hit The Road Without Hitting People

Over a hundred people – mostly children – are killed and 6,000 are injured yearly by vehicles that are backing up, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The editors of Parent magazine said the usual victim is a two-year-old who is hit by a relative or family friend backing out of a driveway.

In 1990 alone, the NHTSA said there were about 182,000 police-reported injuries and 185 fatalities caused by backover accidents. However, experts believe the figures could be higher since most deaths are unaccounted for or underreported.

Another reason for this is the current popularity of SUVs (sport-utility vehicles) that have large rear blind spots, making it difficult if not impossible for the driver to see what is behind the vehicle. Consumer Reports said some vehicles have rear blind spots as deep as 50 feet with large trucks and vans emerging as the worst offenders.

This conce
was echoed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which said that backover accidents pose a substantial risk for severe injury and death to children. Between 2001 and 2003, the CDC reported that an estimated 7,475 children aged 1 -14 were treated in American emergency departments for backover-related injuries. Twenty-eight percent of those injuries occurred to the head, face and neck while over 53 percent occurred in the arms and legs.

The irony of it all is that all this is unnecessary and can be prevented with the use of reverse parking sensors or backup sensors. The NHTSA said these devices can prevent accidents in over 90 percent of cases. They sell for about $50 to $450 depending on the features and beep or talk to you as you get close to an object while backing up.

However, not all vehicles have backup sensors and not all people are aware of their importance. Of the 17 million new vehicles sold in the United States last year, only 900,000 use them, according to Ward’s Communications, an automotive statistics clearinghouse.
"What's going to drive the increase of these safety technologies in the marketplace is consumer demand. The technology will become more and more prevalent as more consumers see the utility of it and demand it, and are willing to pay for it.,” said Eron Shosteck, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Fortunately, reverse parking sensors are readily available and easy to install. If your car doesn’t have one, you can get a reverse parking sensor kit for a reasonable price and be free from costly repairs and backover accidents. This simple solution can save you time, money and more importantly, lives. Ask your dealer about these life-saving devices today and hit the road without hitting other people.

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