Backup cameras alone not enough to save a life, nonprofit finds
Your backup camera isn't enough
A toddler was hit and killed in Elbert County as a pickup truck was backing up in a driveway along Georgia Highway 72. FOX LOCAL streaming host and producer Judayah Murray talks to Amber Rollins, the director of Kids and Car Safety, about how these kinds of tragedies can be avoided.
ATLANTA - A tragic backover crash in Elbert County claimed the life of a one-year-old, highlighting the danger these kinds of incidents pose to young children. Despite rearview cameras becoming standard in new vehicles in 2018, backover crashes continue to result in hundreds of fatalities annually.
Amber Rollins, the director of Kids and Car Safety, sat down for an interview with FOX LOCAL to talk about how these kinds of tragedies can be avoided.
Elbert County 1-year-old killed in backover crash
The backstory:
It happened the evening of June 19. Georgia State troopers say the driver of a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was backing up out of driveway along Georgia Highway 72 and hit a toddler.
That one-year-old didn't make it.
So far, the Georgia State Patrol is not expecting any charges against that driver.
Why you should care:
According to data collected by Kids and Car Safety, between 1990 and 2023, there were 77 children across Georgia killed in similar events.
Texas, California and Florida were the only states to report more deadly incidents over that same period.
Backover, frontover crashes by the numbers
By the numbers:
Every week in the U.S., about 50 children are struck by a driver backing up – usually out of a parking space or a driveway. On average, 60 children are hit in a car's front blind zone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 210 deadly backover crashes and at least 15,000 injuries every year.
In the majority of these cases, the driver is someone the child knows well, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Children aged five and under are the most at-risk.
Close-up of the lens of a backup camera on a car, Lafayette, California, July 10, 2021. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Are backup cameras enough?
What you can do:
While nothing is fool-proof, there are quite a few things responsible adults can start doing now to help predict, and even prevent, these kinds of tragedies.
If you're the driver, checking to make sure there are no children around your vehicle before getting in is a great first step. Having a rearview camera may be the next best thing. As of Spring 2018, a federal regulation made it standard for all new vehicles to come with them. If you have an older model, you can still purchase a camera system separately.
Amber Rollins, the director of Kids and Car Safety, recommends adding a front camera or a 360/bird's-eye view camera system.
If you're the parent or caregiver of a child, you can also childproof your home by investing in door knob covers and door alarms that will alert you when the child is trying to get out.
For younger kids who have a harder time grasping the concept of "danger," Rollins suggests turning car safety lessons into a game. For example, my vehicle-enthusiast 3-year-old nephew could happily tell you the difference between a bulldozer, a front-end loader and an excavator. But, he may not understand the concept of, "You have to hold my hand. We can't run in the parking lot."
Rollins says he may enjoy playing a game of, "How do you know when a car is about to back up?" She says you can teach kids about paying attention to the flashing of the rear lights and the smoke that comes from the exhaust pipe.
STOP Frontovers Act
What's next:
Despite the fairly recent win that made rearview cameras the standard in all new vehicles, Kids and Car Safety is still lobbying for more regulation. In 2024, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the "STOP Frontovers Act" to tackle the issue of hitting children, pets, or objects in a front blind spot. It would require new cars to come equipped with front cameras or sensors. It would also require the NHTSA to formally define the term "frontover," in order to allow for more accurate data collection.
Rollins also said it would be great to see automatic emergency breaking in all cars. That technology could potentially detect a child before the driver does and help them stop, without any human intervention.
"That's what's needed," she continued. "But in the meantime, it helps to be able to see."
The Source: Information in this article comes from an interview between FOX LOCAL streaming host and producer Judayah Murray and director of Kids and Car Safety, Amber Rollins. Some data was derived from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (please see links). Details about the death in Elbert County were reported by the Georgia State Patrol and covered by several local media outlets.