Kids Stuck in the Blind Spot
I recently read an article by Mike Hendricks in The Kansas City Star. As a parent, reading this article made my stomach churn. These stories are gut wrenching to read...thinking about those poor children who are forgotten or left in cars with windows rolled up who essentially boil to death...or the stories of a parent or a grandparent who run their (grand)child over simply because they didn't see the child while backing up. Mr. Hendricks introduces Jannette Fennell, founder of Kids and Cars (www.kidsandcars.org).
He goes on to describe that Ms. Fennell must rely on the media to help get the word out about her organization...and as he says, as parents, we too are happy to oblige.Kids and Cars has been fighting for legislation that would require safer switches and auto-reverse windows.
But the leading cause of nontraffic vehicular deaths of kids is backup rollovers. Someone backs out of the driveway without realizing a toddler is behind them in the blind spot.
Nearly 500 children died in such accidents from 2002 to 2006.
“And in 70 percent of these cases, it’s either a parent or a grandparent” behind the wheel, Fennell said.
Thus, Kids and Cars is lobbying Congress to require that new vehicles be designed so there are no mirror blind spots, or that there is special equipment to correct for them.
