NHTSA Considers Back-Up Cameras to Prevent Pedestrian Rollover Deaths
Under the mandates of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has incorporated pedestrian safety into its agenda. Specifically, the NHTSA is proposing regulations designed to eliminate vehicular-blind zones and decrease pedestrian accidents.
The new rule proposes that automakers be required to install safety technologies as standard equipment in all vehicles. Several technologies already exist as upgrades or optional equipment that would eliminate blind spots and eliminate power-accessory hazards. Presently, manufacturers are under a strict timetable for compliance. Ten percent of new vehicles must comply with the standard by 2012, another 40 percent by September 2013. All vehicles must be complaint by September 2014. If the finalization of the rule continues to be delayed, a revision of the timetable might need to be considered.
In making the proposed rule, the agency looked at injury and fatality statistics. According to the federal agency, in 2009, more than 4,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic-related crashes and almost 60,000 pedestrians were injured. Twenty percent of the fatalities were children.
The NHTSA, as part of the regulatory process, provided for a notice of public comment regarding the newly proposed rule.
During a recent public hearing, the agency heard a number of accounts of how young children have suffered injuries or death as a result of being rolled over by vehicles including the Dahlen family of Alabama, who recounted the tragic death of their two-year-old daughter, and the Ivisons of California, who spoke of the disabling injury suffered by their son.
Due to the large number of comments received, the agency has delayed final approval of the new rule.
The NHTSA estimates that the new standard will cost automakers between $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion annually. However, for consumers who will absorb these costs, automobile prices are expected to only rise slightly.
The NHTSA says that almost 300 lives and nearly 18,000 injuries could be avoided with these changes. However, technology cannot replace driver vigilance. Vehicle operators need to consider their own obligations for keeping roads safe.
