Congress passes bill to curb back-over deaths
Miami Herald
February 15, 2008
By Diana Moskovitz
In a move that acknowledged the number of children killed in back-over accidents -- including about a half-dozen in Broward and Miami-Dade in the past year -- the U.S. Senate approved a bill Thursday that mandates additional safety standards in vehicles.
The measure, which had earlier passed in the U.S. House, now only needs President BushPresident Bush -Search using: 's signature before it becomes law.
The legislation would require the federal government to expand how much drivers will be required to see behind them in a vehicle, with possible solutions including rearview cameras or additional mirrors.
Other requirements in the bill include having all automatic vehicles set up so the brake must be depressed before shifting out of park and having the federal government consider adding sensors to power windows to prevent children from getting trapped in them.
The news brought joy to Arden Rosenfeld, a
''My daughter is looking down now,'' Rosenfeld said. ``And she is happy.''
Rosenfeld's tragedy was among those that spurred Democratic Sen. Bill NelsonSen. Bill Nelson -Search using:
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to sign on as a sponsor of the bill and fight for it.
''Hopefully, this will be a major step in saving a number of children's lives and sparing parents the grief of seeing a child so needlessly killed or maimed,'' said Nelson after the Senate vote on Thursday.
Nelson expects President Bush to sign the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, named after a a 2-year-old
Back-over crashes have been an ongoing concern for child-safety advocates who say the accidents have claimed hundreds of lives over the past few years.
The federal agency in charge of traffic safety estimated in a 2006 report that nearly 200 people, mostly children and the elderly, die in back-over crashes a year.
Since December 2006, at least five children in Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been killed by vehicles that were backing up.
''It doesn't make any sense to be fooling around with this stuff,'' said Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Cars, a group that advocates safety for children.
Her organization works to get the government to enact legitimate standards that make vehicles safer.
''Kids are losing their lives,'' Fennell said.
The approval brought relief to families across the country who have lost children in back-over crashes. Several have become car-safety activists who worked to make more people aware of the possible dangers when backing up.
Among them were Adriann Nelson, whose 16-month-old son Alec was killed when Alec's grandfather backed into him outside their
''It's been the culmination of a huge effort . . . of all of us who have lost children in this totally preventable way,'' said Adriann Nelson after hearing about the vote.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supports the legislation, president and CEO Dave McCurdy said in a statement.
''This industry is 100 percent behind this legislation, and we're committed to using these initiatives to further enhance child safety in and around motor vehicles,'' McCurdy said in a statement.
Rosenfeld said she plans to continue her work educating people about the dangers of backing up.
She named her website after her daughter: Veronica's Eyes.
''I will still go out and speak and talk about what happened with my daughter,'' Rosenfeld said. ``A lot of people still don't realize you can't see behind your vehicle.''
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