Blumenthal Introduces Legislation to Prevent Frontover Child Deaths

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced today the introduction of legislation to prevent child deaths due to frontover incidents. The Standards to Prevent (STOP) Frontovers Act would require all new vehicles to come equipped with cameras, sensors, or other technology to improve drivers’ visibility and perception of kids, pets, and other objects that may be in front of and around their vehicle and avert crashes. Demonstrations by investigative reporters have shown blind zones in front of some cars to be as large as 16 feet, obscuring children from view and putting them at risk of being run over, leading to deaths and injuries.

“This mandate for detection devices like cameras or sensors will save lives,” said Blumenthal. “Large blind zones around cars are reportedly resulting in heartbreaking incidents—needlessly killing or severely injuring kids. Safety is not—and should never be—a premium feature only available to those who can afford it; it should be the default. I’m proud to lead the STOP Frontovers Act to require a visibility and perception standard for cars to help prevent tragic, deadly accidents.”

“As vehicles have become larger, so have front and side blind zones as demonstrated by research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and others,” said Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “As a result, vulnerable road users, especially small children, may not be visible to the driver thus endangering them to be hit by the vehicle. We commend Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) for introducing The STOP Frontovers Act which will require technology in new cars to prevent these crashes and heartbreaking tragedies. The STOP Frontovers Act should be given the ‘green light’ to better protect all road users.”

“As American automobiles get bigger, their blindzones follow suit, leading to needless tragedies that can be prevented using readily available technology,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of Center for Auto Safety. “That’s why the Center for Auto Safety is pleased to support the STOP Frontovers Act, which mandates a federal standard to upgrade drivers’ visual perception zones, and improves safety data collection with respect to frontover and backover incidents.”

“Technology already exists that can use alerts and sensors to prevent the unimaginable,” said Gabe Knight, Senior Policy Analyst at Consumer Reports. “It’s time for all vehicles, and especially larger trucks and SUVs, to stop the preventable injuries and deaths caused by frontovers. Consumer Reports urges every member of Congress to support the STOP Frontovers Act.”

“The growing dominance of larger, heavier vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks—now making up 75-80% of U.S. vehicle sales—has created massive blindzones where drivers can’t see pedestrians,” said Janette Fennell, President of Kids and Car Safety. “Improving visibility through better vehicle design and advanced safety technologies is critical to protecting vulnerable road users. We must act now to address this escalating safety crisis and safeguard pedestrians both on and off our roads.”

The legislation announced by Blumenthal would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) that requires vehicles to be equipped with technology that enables drivers to detect and accordingly respond to objects in front of and around their vehicle to reduce death and injury resulting from frontovers. The measure directs NHTSA to begin the rulemaking process for the standard within one year and issue a final FMVSS one year later. It also requires NHTSA to formally define the term “frontover” to standardize its definition and allow for more accurate data collection. In addition, the bill directs NHTSA to update its Non-Traffic Surveillance data to more accurately count frontover injuries and deaths to provide critical and more accurate information to the Agency and the public about the prevalence of frontovers.

While Congress mandated in 2008 that NHTSA issue a rule to establish rear visibility standards in response to countless backover accidents, no such front or side visibility standards currently exist. Such visibility technology, such as cameras and sensors, is offered by some manufacturers, but usually only on expensive, upgraded models or for an additional fee.

The STOP Frontovers Act has been endorsed by auto and consumer safety organizations, including Kids and Car Safety, the Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Reports, and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

The text of the STOP Frontovers Act is available here.

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