Rear Camera Technology Aims To Decrease Backover Collisions

A recently passed federal mandate that requires all newly assembled vehicles to have a back-up camera is aimed at lowering the number of backover fatalities and injuries. Every year, as many as 15,000 people throughout the United States are injured in backover accidents. Additionally over 200 people are killed in motor vehicle backover accidents throughout the country each year. Backover accidents are defined as accidents in which the driver fails to notice a person behind their vehicle and reverses over the victim.

Backover accidents, much like many types of accidents, disproportionately impact children as well as the elderly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that children under the age of five account for just under one-third of all backover fatalities. Additionally, adults over the age of 70 account for over 25 percent of all backover deaths.

Avoiding Backover Collisions

Despite the evolution of motor vehicle technology, backover accidents still occur on a far too regular basis. Consider the following simple tips to help you avoid a backover collision.

• Pay Attention to the Sounds Around You: One mistake that drivers involved in backover collisions tend to make is not listening to the surrounding environment. Next time you are backing up, pause your music and roll down your windows. Listening to the sounds outside of your vehicle may just save a life.
• Go Slow: When in a hurry, drivers tend to reverse quickly and recklessly. Slowing your speed down and taking a brief moment to look around you may save you from a costly backover collision. This is especially true when backing up on a residential street or busy parking area. The few seconds it takes to slowly backup could save you days and hours of time in legal proceedings.
• Do Not Just Rely on Technology: Although the development of backup cameras and other innovative safety measures have increased vehicle safety, they should not be relied on alone. Use your backup camera and other tools as a way of enhancing your safety measures and not as a means to reduce your previous ones.

Contact Us

If you are injured in a backover accident, it is possible that the driver was negligent. At Salvi & Maher, L.L.C., our legal team has helped hundreds of families impacted by motor vehicle collisions. For more information on what steps to take in the aftermath of an automobile accident, contact our compassionate team of Waukegan personal injury attorneys.

Sources:

https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/safety/preventing-backover-deaths

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sc-auto-cover-0517-backup-camera-mandate-20180509-story.html