Editorial: Helping to safeguard kids

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

Congress is considering legislation that would require the federal government to set rear visibility standards for motor vehicles in order to help prevent drivers from accidentally backing over small children.

The bill, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, does not specify what type of technology is to be used. It merely asks Congress to enact a standard for all vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, which encompasses most cars and light trucks.

There are numerous after-market technologies available, from devices that beep when a backing vehicle comes close to a person or object, to cameras that allow drivers to see what is behind them. Such devices also are available as options on new cars. But the industry needs a set standard, the bill's supporters say.

According to 2005 figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2,400 children are treated at emergency rooms each year because they have been struck by backing cars - most of them in parking lots or the driveways of their homes. The nonprofit advocacy group Kids And Cars says children younger than 4 are especially difficult to see and don't understand the dangers that moving vehicles present.

Certainly, adults must keep close watch on the children entrusted to their care, and drivers must be vigilant about what - or who - is behind their vehicles. But many of today's vehicles have significant blind spots, and it just isn't always possible to see small children.

A national standard to help protect these little ones is in order.