There is no greater tragedy than to lose a child. Whether it is due to a motor vehicle, or any other cause, nothing can fill the sorrow. For those who have not experienced that lost, the best we can do is hope it never happens to us. For some of those that have lost a child, the hope to change things is compelling.
This hope is the catalyst for a proposed new regulation regarding motor vehicles. In December 2010 the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new safety regulation to help eliminate blind zones behind motor vehicles. The new rule was proposed as part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Act named after two year old Cameron Gulbranse, who was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in his family’s driveway.
This proposal would expand the field of view for all motor vehicles with a gross weight of up to 10,000 pounds so that drivers could see directly behind the vehicles when the motor vehicle is in reverse. To comply, it is believed that auto manufacturers would install rear mounted video cameras and in vehicle displays in all their vehicles. It is hoped that by requiring the manufacturers to all comply by the end of 2014 that there will be a reduction in back-over deaths and injuries, not only to children but to the elderly and other pedestrians as well.