|
Washington, DC--National Consumers League Executive Director
Sally Greenberg thanked the Senate for sending a Valentine’s Day
present to parents across the nation by passing the Cameron
Gulbransen Kids and Cars Act of 2007, a bill that will prevent
young children from being backed over and killed, which
tragically happens at a rate of twice each week.
“We
are thrilled that this long-overdue safety measure will, at
last, become law,” said Greenberg. “Too many children have
tragically lost their lives by being backed over. The technology
is available to keep kids safe, and this bill finally gives
parents the tools they need to do so.”
For
years, safety advocates have worked with members of Congress to
set standards for the rearward visibility of drivers operating
their vehicles in reverse. Because all vehicles have blind
zones, drivers can’t see small children behind them and, as a
result, thousands of kids have been backed over and injured or
killed, Greenberg said. This safety hazard results in the deaths
of two children each week, according to the advocacy group KIDS
AND CARS.
The
biggest danger comes with the very largest of vehicles: SUVs and
pickup trucks, which tend to have much wider and longer blind
zones. Before joining NCL last October, Greenberg spent a decade
at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports,
lobbying to get the bill passed. The magazine measures all blind
areas behind every vehicle it tests, with some blind zones
measuring as long as 69 feet – longer than many driveways. A
driver, about to put a 1,000-plus pound car into reverse, unable
to see anything behind her for 69 feet and as many as 7 feet
wide: clearly an accident waiting to happen.
Today
the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Act of 2007 overcame a
major hurdle – a Senator lifted a hold on the bill - and is on
its way to President Bush. Once it becomes law, all cars will
have to meet a “rearward visibility standard,” and drivers will
be able to detect a child behind them.
“The
Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Act of 2007 will prevent
needless deaths and injuries, saving untold numbers of families
the grief and hardship that comes with losing a child,”
Greenberg said.
Credit for this bill’s successful passage goes to many, most
importantly the families who came to Washington year in and year
out to meet with their Senators and Representatives about this
often unknown and poorly understood hazard. “These brave
families deserve the lion’s share of the credit for their
advocacy,” Greenberg said.
“We
also thank the members of Congress who tirelessly championed the
House and Senate bills from the start: Congresswoman Jan
Schakowsky (D-IL) and Congressman Peter King (R-NY), whose young
constituent, Cameron Gulbransen, a victim of backover, is the
bill’s namesake. And in the Senate, Senator Hillary Clinton
(D-NY) and Senator John Sununu (R-NH). They each stood with the
families in the face of opposition from government, industry,
and other legislators,” Greenberg said. “Finally, our hats go
off to the organizations who worked to get the bill passed, lead
by Janette Fennell of Kids and Cars, Consumers Union, Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety, and Public Citizen.”
The
Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Act of 2007, along with
requiring that every vehicle meet a standard for rear visibility
and allow drivers to detect objects behind them, also requires
that every vehicle be equipped with brake shift interlock. This
requires that the brake pedal be depressed in order to shift the
car into gear, which would prevent small children from being
able to set a car in motion, as they typically can’t reach the
brake pedal. Finally, the bill calls for data collection by the
federal government for these types of nontraffic, noncrash
incidents, which are not systematically tracked now by the
government.
For
more information about HR 1216 and S. 694, “The Cameron
Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007,” contact NCL’s
communications department:
media@nclnet.org or (202) 835-3323, ext 114. |
