Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

hummer.jpgGrowing public awareness of the danger posed to children by the huge blind spots in SUVs has led to likely passage of what is known as the Kids and Cars act in this session of Congress. But it remains unclear whether the now-weakened bill will adequately address rear-visibility issues that have led to the deaths and injuries of hundreds of children in the past few years.

MSNBC reports on the efforts of advocates to increase awareness of the problem:

How many kids can sit behind an SUV without being seen by the driver in the rearview mirrors? This is not a trick question. In fact, knowing the answer could save a child's life.

According to the consumer group Kids and Cars, as many as 62 children could be in that blind zone and you'd never know it. And that's a huge problem.

Your driveway is the last place you'd expect a child to get hit by a car. But Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Cars, says at least 100 children are killed there each year in backover accidents. Another 2,400 children are seriously injured this way each year.

The solution usually advanced for the blind backup zone is a backup camera, already available as an option in many vehicles. But the blind spots aren't just behind these behemoths -- they're in front, too:

According to Kids and Cars, 60 children were killed last year in frontover accidents. That's more than one child every week.

Many people who know about the rear blind spot back their vehicles into the driveway. They figure they'll be able to see anything in front of them as they pull forward. But backing into the driveway does not eliminate the danger.

"Some of the vehicles are so large and you're so high off the ground that you can't see little ones in front of the vehicle," Fennell warns.

That's what happened to 8-year old Douglas Bransom one year ago this week....Douglas was walking home on the sidewalk in a quiet neighborhood in West Linn, Oregon. Phil Bransom thinks his son dropped a toy at the top of a neighbor's driveway and bent down to pick it up, just as the neighbor was moving his SUV forward.

Douglas was hit and dragged into the street. He died at the scene.

The problem isn't confined to driveways. Just this past February in Brooklyn, four-year-old James Rice was killed by a turning Hummer as he crossed the street legally in a crosswalk with his aunt. The driver was not charged. At the wheel of a vehicle notorious even among car enthusiasts for its poor visibility (one reviewer called backing up "an act of faith"), he said he never saw the boy in front of him.

Photo: Sarah Goodyear

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

New Camera Tech Hopes to Stop Drivers From Close-Passing Cyclists

If only policymakers could fully experience the pervasive problem of drivers passing too closely to cyclists perhaps they'd find a way to stop the deadly practice and get victims justice.

December 11, 2024

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Staying Put

Cities like Atlanta, Denver and Minneapolis provide blueprints for how transit can improve neighborhoods without pushing people out.

December 11, 2024

Do Tuesday’s Headlines Live in a 15-Minute City?

Find out how long it takes to walk to stores, restaurants and transit stops in your neighborhood with this Washington Post widget.

December 10, 2024

‘Trojan Horse’: NYC’s E-Bike Licensing Bill Would Fuel Anti-Immigrant Policing

Council members fail to address the e-bike registration bill's potential harmful outcomes.

December 10, 2024

Even at Slower Speeds, SUVs and Pickups are a ‘Big’ Problem for Pedestrians

Pedestrians hit by median-height cars have a 60 percent chance of suffering moderate injuries, but that figure rises to 83 percent when they are struck by a median-height pickup truck at that same speed.

December 10, 2024
See all posts