Backup Sensor

SUV backup sensor dangers

We hear a lot in the news about the controversies and dangers of Sport Utility Vehicles or SUVs, especially how much gas they use and their risk of rollovers.

For many parents with large families or who drive a lot of kids around, SUVs are a necessity. And many parents think that their kids are safer, in case they are in an accident, if they are in a large SUV.

However, SUVs may pose a very real and deadly hazard to children, as do minivans and large pickup trucks. And that is because they have poor rear visibility and a large blind spot, the space behind your car or SUV that you can't normally see in your rear-view mirror, which can make it easier to back over a child.

According to Kids 'N Cars, which is compiling statistics on these types of incidents, 'in 2002, at least 58 children died as a result of being backed over by a motor vehicle. (more than one per week) Sadly, in over 60% of these incidents, there was a parent or close relative behind the wheel.'

That doesn't mean that you can't drive an SUV, but you should be more careful when backing up, especially if there might be kids around. backup sensor

Also, keep in mind that even regular cars have blind spots, so always be careful when backing up, even if you aren't in an SUV. The current statistics on injuries and deaths from backing over a child don't seem to break them down by type of vehicle. You would think that more injuries occur as a vehicle just begins to back up and not after it has already gone 20 or 30 feet, so backing up your smaller car might pose just as big a risk. backup sensor

Still, in addition to having a longer and wider blind spot, a large SUV is also going to have a taller blind spot (maybe 4 feet or so) than a smaller car (often only 2-3 feet), so more kids would be at risk of not being seen and being run over in an SUV. backup sensor

And one study, from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, did show that the majority of drive-way related collisions 'resulted from a truck or sport-utility vehicle going in reverse'.
But this article isn't about SUV bashing. It is about preventing injuries to children from getting backed over.

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