[Quietcars] Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act

[michael townsend]

Once again another excellent post; not necessarily aimed at our audience,
but a more universal one, and we could all benefit greatly.  Thanks, Bob.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Wilson
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 5:27 AM
To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Quietcars] Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act


A week before the June 23, 2008 hearing, I first learned about the back-over
problem. Today, I came across the welcome result:
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/li-boy-s-death-may-mean-cameras-in
-all-cars-1.2527253
* * * quoting from the article * * *
Greg Gulbransen thought at first that maybe he'd backed over the newspaper.
The pediatrician had gone out at night to flip his BMW SUV around so that he
wouldn't have to back out of his driveway in the morning when kids were
headed to school. As he continued in reverse, his headlights lit up a scene
that would change his life forever.
Gulbransen's son Cameron, 2, lay sprawled in the driveway. He had on blue
pajamas, was holding a blanket and was bleeding heavily from his head.. . .
"That's when life ended pretty much as I knew it," Gulbransen said
Wednesday. "Complete and utter devastation. I still can't believe it
happened."
Now, eight years after the October night in Woodbury when Gulbransen
accidentally killed his son, the federal government is taking comment on a
key provision of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act
that's meant to prevent such tragedies.
After the 60-day comment period, announced Friday by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, automakers will be required to eliminate
blind zones behind vehicles that can contribute to deaths like Cameron's. In
practice, that means automakers will have to outfit new vehicles with
monitors that display to those driving in reverse a live image of the blind
zone. Such rearview cameras are already found in some luxury models.. . .Ten
percent of new vehicles must meet the requirement by September 2012 and 100
percent by September 2014. The federal government estimates that the move
will cost the auto industry as much as $2.7 billion and individual car
purchasers an extra $159 to $203 per vehicle.
Federal safety regulators estimate that in an average year, 292 people are
killed and 18,000 injuries occur due to back-over crashes. Some 228 of those
fatalities involve common passenger vehicles, regulators estimate, with 44
percent of those deaths being children under 5 and 33 percent adults over
70.
* * * end quote * * *
This safety legislation received near universal support because it applies
an effective solution to a well documented and too often fatal problem. It
is timely because rear view mirrors are losing their effectiveness as
tougher roll-over safety rules require stronger roofs that further obscure
visibility. SUVs and pickup trucks are a particular hazard because their
higher than normal body style and lengths lead to especially poor
visibility. But no car or vehicle is immune. 
Universal backup cameras make a lot of sense which due to economies of scale
will become much more affordable. This is the application of new, video
technology to replace the century old, and barely adequate mirrors. 
Bob Wilson 		 	   		  
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