Children in Danger from Vehicle!!

Marie A. Kalmine

Seth McCartney

Blake W. Hofer

 












Marie Anne Kalmine, Seth McCartney, and Blake William Hofer are just a few names of children who have suffered a death from backovers. Backovers, children dieing from people not being able to see behind their vehicle while backing up, are become more frequent but is being over looked bu many people who think it can not happen to them.  According to Kids and Cars program in "Backovers," "In the U.S. at least fifty children are being backed over by vehicles EVERY week. Forty-eight (48) are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two (2) children are fatally injured every WEEK."(1). FIFTY CHILDREN!! If this does not show we need to improve our safety issues for cars then nothing will. People need to start think of the possibility that fatal accidents such as this can happen to them, but to prevent it we need to take action upon ourselves to fix it. Review camera's, child safety locks, and Latch are safety features made to keep children safe for driving in a vehicle, so why do we not buy these features?Is it because of the price? But ask yourself, can you put a price on a child's life and their safety? No one wants or ask to backover their love ones and it happens but should not. James Robertson in "Car technology leads drivers to distraction" says "it was difficult to legislate against driver distraction and there should be more investment in solutions that disable devices when cars are moving"(1). I agree with his statement on the issue of using technology while driving but not on removing it all from vehicles when we really need them. Cars now have the ability to be able to prevent accidents from happening by having "Collision Warning Systems," which basically stops a moving vehicle by applying the brakes from potential accidents from occurring. We are living in a new era where we need to use technology for human errors because if this does not change then we are always going to be living in a system where human errors become a normalcy.

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References:
Fennell, Janette. Kids and Cars. N.p., n.d. Google. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.kidsandcars.org/back-overs.html#Fact%20Sheet>.

 Whittenly, Hannah. "Protect Your Child: The Top Five Safety Features to Look for in a Car Seat. ." Dumb Little Man Tips for Life. N.p., 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dumblittleman.com/2013/09/protect-your-child-top-five-safety.html>.

 Robertson, James. "Car technology leads drivers to distraction." Drive. N.p., 29 Aug. 2013. Google. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://news.drive.com.au/drive/roads-and-traffic/car-technology-leads-drivers-to-distraction-20130828-2squn.html>.

 Edmunds, . "Collision Warning Systems Anticipate and Help You Avoid a Crash." Technology That Prevents Accidents Waiting To Happen. N.p., 7 Jan. 2010. Google. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/technology-that-prevents-accidents-waiting-to-happen.html>.