SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Many kids are out of school for summer and drivers should be extra vigilant looking out for children playing in their neighborhoods.
Amber Rollins is the director of Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit focusing on preventing tragedies with kids and cars. She says there's been recent increases in pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
Rollins says larger vehicles like vans, trucks and SUVs are dangerous for pedestrians, partially because they have larger blind zones.
"If you’re sitting up in a big truck and you're higher off the ground, you can see much further down the roadway, but you can't see what’s directly in front of you. A child just doesn't have a chance if you don't know they’re there," said Rollins.
Rollins offers a few suggestions for keeping children safe, such as child-proofing doors to prevent kids from ending up outside near the road, direct supervision and car cameras.
"These tragedies happen in the blink of an eye. We all have to turn our backs to do one thing or another and we cannot have our eyes on our children 100% of the time. Putting in these safety nets and protections is so critical to prevent something because the cost of losing a child pales in comparison to what we spend to childproof and add cameras," said Rollins.
All new vehicles, whether sold or leased, come with backup cameras as it's a federal safety standard. If you are buying a new vehicle, Rollins says to consider one with front and back cameras, a 360° or a birds-eye camera.
Older cars may not have front or backup cameras, so you can retrofit your car with an aftermarket backup camera system. Officer Ricardo Ortiz with California Highway Patrol says there are rules for camera displays inside your vehicle.
"If you do buy an after-market product, it is recommended that you have a professional install that product. As far as the displays and where that display is mounted in your vehicle, for an after-market product, you want to make sure that display is not obstructing your field of view through the windshield or side windows in any way," said Ortiz.
Ortiz says you should never solely depend on a camera, but to also look around your vehicle before backing out of a spot or your driveway.
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