Family Life

12.03.10 | Sarah Harnisch

  Every year, 18 thousand people are injured-- 300 killed-- because of someone backing up in a driveway. Half the deaths involved kids under the age of 5. In 70 percent of the cases, a family member is responsible for the death. Not anymore. The U.S. Transportation Department is about to require every vehicle that weighs less then 10 thousand pounds to have backup cameras. Sedans have a blind spot of 12 feet on average-- minivans, 13 feet; 15 feet on suv's; 30 feet on large trucks. But backup cameras, which show you a visual image of what's behind your rear bumper, can make a huge difference. Experts say it's ridiculous that this wasn't required sooner. You wouldn't buy a vehicle if you couldn't see 20 feet in front of you, why do you buy a vehicle when you can't see 20 feet behind you? The government wants to requre the cameras on vehicles by 2014.