Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Reuters)
WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator on Friday asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to address the risk of unseen children being hit by SUVs.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is a member of the committee overseeing the NHTSA, said the increasing size of SUVs is leading to larger frontal blind zones that prevent some children from being seen above the hood. Congress previously deployed cameras to deal with back-over crashes in the rear, and Blumenthal said that “a similar, simple solution to front visibility standards could help prevent these deaths.”
He wants the NHTSA to release incident data, saying it is “critical to understand the true extent of frontovers and the steps that can be taken to prevent these tragic incidents.”
Some automakers issue warnings or use cameras or radar to warn drivers starting vehicles of the presence of a pedestrian around the front of an SUV.
Sales of SUVs have risen sharply in recent decades, while car sales have fallen. The Environmental Protection Agency said in 2020 that SUVs accounted for 52% of all U.S. car production. Automakers are building more bigger trucks and SUVs with taller hoods.
In 2019, according to NHTSA data, 1,093 children who rode in vehicles were killed in accidents, while 177 children who were pedestrians and 48 were killed by bicycles.
NHTSA did not immediately comment. A group representing major automakers also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May, the NHTSA said the number of road deaths in the US rose by 10.5% in 2021 to 42,915, the highest number of deaths on US roads in a single year since 2005. The annual increase was also the highest since the NHTSA announced its 1975 release. current fatality tracking system began to use. .