Bill a Victory for Child Safety
2/27/08
Senate Passes Kids and Cars Legislation
One Saturday night in October 2002, Greg Gulbransen and his wife, Leslie, came home after a nice dinner out. Their 2-year-old son, Cameron, was in bed, but woke up when he heard his parents come home. Greg — eager to see his beautiful toddling boy — got him out of his crib and brought him downstairs for a little quality time. After a bit, he remembered that he needed to move their SUV, so he went outside, leaving Cameron inside with Leslie. Greg began to move his car, but stopped abruptly when he felt a bump. He got out to see what the bump was and was met with the sight of Cameron, bleeding and holding his favorite blanket. Cameron died, and the Gulbransens’ lives, as you can well imagine, have never been the same. The SUV’s blind zone prevented Greg from seeing Cameron, despite carefully looking in the side and rearview mirrors. Can you even imagine? In one article I read, Greg was quoted as saying he “can still feel the thump.”
Takes your breath away, doesn’t it? Just as devastating is the fact that there are many other families who have had the same or a similar type of tragedy befall them.
Since the accident, the Gulbransens have become advocates of Kids and Cars, an organization dedicated to assuring no child dies or is injured in non-traffic motor-vehicle accidents. They worked together on the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, which, having already passed the U.S. House, just sailed through the Senate with unanimous support and is now on its way to President Bush’s desk for a signature. The bill swept through the Senate on Valentine’s Day, and I can’t think of anything more loving and appropriate the Senate could have done on that day.
In a nutshell, this legislation takes a step toward addressing three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles:
• Getting caught in an automatically closing power window.
• Being struck by a backing vehicle because of a blind zone.
• Being struck by a car that’s accidentally placed in gear, resulting in an uncontrolled roll.
For starters, the bill mandates that by Sept. 1, 2010, new vehicles include a brake interlock system, which prevents a car from being shifted out of Park if the brake isn’t depressed. It will also create a database of deaths and injuries of children in non-traffic auto-related accidents, meaning these kinds of tragedies will no longer happen under the radar.
Less concrete, but still a step in the right direction, are requirements set forth in the legislation that within a year the government proscribe standards to “expand the required field of view” behind cars. It allows for different requirements for different cars, including additional mirrors, sensors, cameras or other technology, and calls for a final standard to be set within three years.
Under the act, the government would also be required to study a power-window auto-reverse function to ensure windows change direction if an obstacle — like a child’s neck or arm — is sensed. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn’t complete a study on the features within two and a half years, it will have to answer to Congress.
Passage of this act is huge. It’s a great example of what can be accomplished when organizations like Kids and Cars work together with everyday people for a great cause. Visit www.kidsandcars.org to learn a bit more, get involved and make sure you know how to prevent tragedies like this from striking your family.
Comments
Amen to this. It'll be especially help when I drive my nieces around to their fun places.
Posted by: Proud tC Driver | Feb 28, 2008 3:17:22 AM
The President signed this bill into law today! We are thrilled!
“This is an incredibly positive story about how Congress worked together in a bipartisan manner with industry, regulators, parents and safety organizations to advance public health and safety” said Ms. Fennell.
“We are hopeful that this new law will bring some small relief to the parents who have lost a child in this manner. Through their efforts they will help to prevent another family from experiencing the grief of losing a child in such a predictable and preventable manner,” continued Ms. Fennell.
Read the full press release about this NEW LAW at www.kidsandcars.org.
Posted by: Sara Lacey | Feb 28, 2008 9:24:06 PM
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Thank the stars for Janette’s tireless work to help keep kids safe in and around cars. This is such an important issue that I fear gets overlooked and/or underplayed in other, ahem, automotive publications.
Posted by: Chief Mama | Feb 27, 2008 3:51:23 PM