Trouble-free Driving

Every 1.6 minutes, an American driver backs into trouble. And when he or she does, it usually means costly vehicle repairs or even worse, fatal accidents involving children.

This grim scenario comes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which said that backover accidents are common and account for thousands of dollars in damages to vehicles and property.
"Backing up your vehicle at just 5 miles per hour (mph) and hitting a pole can result in $500-$1,500 in damages to your vehicle. A minimum repair on a four wheel drive vehicle is $700-$2,500," the IIHS said.

The problem is caused mainly by the driver’s inability to see what is behind the vehicle. Consumer Reports said some vehicles have rear blind spots as deep as 50 feet, causing the driver to hit toys, bicycles, poles or another vehicle while backing out of the garage or driveway. But the greatest harm comes from backover accidents involving children and the number of victims is increasing.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said over a hundred people – mostly children – are killed and 6,000 are injured yearly by vehicles that are backing up. Most of these accidents occur in parking lots and driveways with the vehicle being driven by a parent, relative or family friend.

In 2004 alone, at least 165 children died in non-traffic, non-crash incidents of which 101 died when backed over by a vehicle, according to the Kansas-based national child safety organizatio
Kids and Cars. Five hundred sixty-one backover accidents were recorded from 1994 to 2004 of which 392 – mostly one-year-old kids - died. Kids and Cars added that over 60 percent of backover accidents involved trucks, vans or sport-utility vehicles, and in over 70 percent of the incidents, a parent or close relative was behind the wheel.

To avoid costly vehicle repairs and the tragedy of losing a loved one, especially your own child, it pays to have reverse parking sensors or backup sensors in your vehicle. The NHTSA said these life-saving devices can prevent over 90 percent of backover accidents and they don’t cost much nowadays. Depending on the features, these devices (that beep whenever you get close to a person or object) sell for about $50 to $450.

A J.D. Power survey of 10,000 consumers found that 72 percent would like to have backup sensors on their vehicles and are willing to pay an additional $300 for them. But you don’t have to spend a fortune nowadays since there are many types to choose from and prices are dropping. Get a backup sensor today for peaceful, worry-free driving.

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