“New cars with backup cameras in New York City are just common sense, considering the number of pedestrians we have, and how many of them just aren’t paying attention to traffic.”
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 13, 2014
NHTSA, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, announced on March 31, 2014, the issuance of its final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. The rule was mandated by Congress through passage of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Safety Act of 2007, an act approved February 28, 2008, that required the Secretary of Transportation to “prescribe final standards pursuant to this subsection not later than 36 months after the date of enactment of this Act.”
“Now, we don’t know why it took the feds so long to make this act the law, but if it took this long just to get it right, then we’re glad they finally got it right and moved forward with the camera requirement,” Kaplan’s executive director Sabatino said, adding, “New cars with backup cameras in New York City are just common sense, considering the number of pedestrians we have, and how many of them just aren’t paying attention to traffic.”
NHTSA estimates 210 people are killed every year and at least 15,000 are injured by a vehicle backing over them, with most of the accidents happening because the driver simply couldn’t see the area behind their backing vehicle. The new federal rule requires manufacturers of all vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds—including buses and trucks—to equip vehicles made after May 1, 2018, with rear visibility technology that will increase the driver’s field of view to include a 10-by-20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. Manufacturers can choose to include an in-dash screen, a rear-view mirror screen, or some other technology that will provide the required area of view.
“The City has so many out-of-town people on foot every day, and we have streets and sidewalks packed already with folks just trying to get their jobs or taking care of errands during a break. Everybody’s in a hurry, and you can count on pedestrians trying to save time by crossing in the middle of a street. They want to get across traffic, and they just don’t notice a car or truck backing up right beside them at the curb. A driver with a camera will see that pedestrian and can avoid a bad situation. Having a backup camera just makes sense in downtown New York,” Sabatini commented.
About Kaplan Lawyers, PC
Kaplan Lawyers is a personal injury law firm that helps families deal with the aftermath of injuries or death caused by negligent car and truck drivers. For more information on how they can help you, call them in the City at (212) 563-1900 or on Long Island at (516) 399-2364.