NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — You see a lot of pickup trucks and crossover SUVs on the roads these days, but as they're getting larger in size, so does the risk to people around them.
As these pick-ups and SUVs get bigger, so do the dangerous blind zones in front of these vehicles. We're talking about the space just past the hood making it difficult for the driver to see what's directly in front of them.
Influenced by Consumer Reports testing of rear visibility, backup cameras have been required on all new cars since 2018.
“Backup cameras have saved lives by giving us all that additional view when we are moving backward, now we need to shift the focus to the safety in front of the vehicle,” said Consumer Reports Jennifer Stockburger.
Latest data from the NHTSA shows that in 2020 there were over 500 deaths and more than 10,000 “frontover” injuries due to forward-moving vehicles and a disproportionate number of frontover victims are children.
According to Kids and Cars, about 81% of victims are 6 and under. One reason: as vehicles have grown in size so have the blind zones around them.
There is currently no law requiring vehicles to have front cameras or sensors
“There’s already so many of these large vehicles on the roads that awareness has to be part of it. If you are driving a large vehicle, maybe walk around the vehicle, or
make sure all kids in the area are in your line of sight before that vehicle starts to move,” Stockburger said.
There is a bill called the STOP Frontovers Act before Congress that could require changes to certain vehicles to help prevent these types of crashes. We'll let you know if it passes.
