Back-up collision

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Back-up collision with a lamppost Bilolycka.jpg
Back-up collision with a lamppost

Back-up collisions happen when a driver reverses the car into an object, person, or other car. Although most cars come equipped with rear view mirrors which are adequate for detecting vehicles behind a car, they are inadequate on many vehicles for detecting small children or objects close to the ground, which fall in the car's blind spot, particularly directly aft. That area has been called a "killing zone." [1] Large trucks have much larger blind spots that can hide entire vehicles and large adults. [1]

Contents

Statistics

According to research by the advocacy web site kidsandcars.org, back up collisions were the leading cause (34%) for U.S. non-traffic fatalities of children under 15 from 2006–2010. [2]

The U.S. Center for Disease Control reported that from 2001–2003, an estimated 7,475 children (CI = 4,453–10,497) (2,492 per year) under the age of 15 were treated for automobile back-over incidents. [3] About 300 fatalities per year result from backup collisions. [4]

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that back-up collisions most often: [5]

The driver of the car backing up and hitting an object, a person, another car, or property is usually considered to be at fault.[ citation needed ]

Prevention and regulation

Prevention organizations suggest that parents use common sense, and also take safety measures such as installing cross view mirrors, audible collision detectors, backup camera, or some type of reverse backup sensors. Furthermore, safer backing up is done when the driver turns completely around and looks out of the rear window of the car, rather than relying on mirrors. This provides a wider field of vision and better control of the vehicle.[ citation needed ]

In the United States, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 [6] required the federal Secretary of Transportation to issue backup collision safety regulations within 3 years and require full compliance within 4 years after final rulemaking. As of 2012, regulations are still under study. [4] About half of model year 2012 automobiles already have backup cameras installed. [4]

Blind spot monitors and other technology

Blind spot monitors are an option that may include more than monitoring the sides of the vehicle. It can include "Cross Traffic Alert," "which alerts drivers backing out of a parking space when traffic is approaching from the sides." [7] [8] [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive safety</span> Study and practice to minimize the occurrence and consequences of motor vehicle accidents

Automotive safety is the study and practice of design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles. Road traffic safety more broadly includes roadway design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle blind spot</span> Area around vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver while at the controls

A blind spot in a vehicle or vehicle blind spot is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly seen by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances. In transport, driver visibility is the maximum distance at which the driver of a vehicle can see and identify prominent objects around the vehicle. Visibility is primarily determined by weather conditions and by a vehicle's design. The parts of a vehicle that influence visibility include the windshield, the dashboard and the pillars. Good driver visibility is essential to safe road traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced driver-assistance system</span> Electronic systems that help a vehicle driver while driving or parking

An advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) is any of a groups of electronic technologies that assist drivers in driving and parking functions. Through a safe human-machine interface, ADAS increase car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technology, such as sensors and cameras, to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors, and respond accordingly. ADAS can enable various levels of autonomous driving, depending on the features installed in the car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane departure warning system</span> Mechanism designed to warn a driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane

In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane on freeways and arterial roads. These systems are designed to minimize accidents by addressing the main causes of collisions: driver error, distractions and drowsiness. In 2009 the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began studying whether to mandate lane departure warning systems and frontal collision warning systems on automobiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelligent Parking Assist System</span> Automatic parking system by Toyota

Intelligent Parking Assist System (IPAS), also known as Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) for Toyota models in the United States, is the first production automatic parking system developed by Toyota Motor Corporation in 1999 initially for the Japanese market hybrid Prius models and Lexus models. The technology assists drivers in parking their vehicle. On vehicles equipped with the IPAS, via an in-dash screen and button controls, the car can steer itself into a parking space with little input from the user. The first version of the system was deployed on the Prius Hybrid sold in Japan in 2003. In 2006, an upgraded version debuted for the first time outside Japan on the Lexus LS luxury sedan, which featured the automatic parking technology among other brand new inventions from Toyota. In 2009, the system appeared on the third generation Prius sold in the U.S. In Asia and Europe, the parking technology is marketed as the Intelligent Park Assist System for both Lexus and Toyota models, while in the U.S. the Advanced Parking Guidance System name is only used for the Lexus system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rear-view mirror</span> Mirror in vehicles that allows the driver to see rearwards

A rear-view mirror is a flat mirror in automobiles and other vehicles, designed to allow the driver to see rearward through the vehicle's rear window.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dooring</span> Type of cycling accident

Dooring is the act of opening a motor vehicle door into the path of another road user. Dooring can happen when a driver has parked or stopped to exit their vehicle, or when passengers egress from cars, taxis and rideshares into the path of a cyclist in an adjacent travel lane. The width of the door zone in which this can happen varies, depending upon the model of car one is passing. The zone can be almost zero for a vehicle with sliding or gull-wing doors or much larger for a truck. In many cities across the globe, doorings are among the most common and injurious bike-vehicle incidents. Any passing vehicle may also strike and damage a negligently opened or left open door, or injure or kill the exiting motorist or passenger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind spot monitor</span>

The blind spot monitor or blind-spot monitoring is a vehicle-based sensor device that detects other vehicles located to the driver’s side and rear. Warnings can be visual, audible, vibrating, or tactile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parking sensor</span> Proximity sensor

Parking sensors are proximity sensors for road vehicles designed to alert the driver of obstacles while parking. These systems use either electromagnetic or ultrasonic sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic parking</span> Autonomous car-maneuvering system

Automatic parking is an autonomous car-maneuvering system that moves a vehicle from a traffic lane into a parking spot to perform parallel, perpendicular, or angle parking. The automatic parking system aims to enhance the comfort and safety of driving in constrained environments where much attention and experience is required to steer the car. The parking maneuver is achieved by means of coordinated control of the steering angle and speed which takes into account the actual situation in the environment to ensure collision-free motion within the available space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backup camera</span>

A backup camera is a special type of video camera that is produced specifically for the purpose of being attached to the rear of a vehicle to aid in backing up and to alleviate the rear blind spot. It is designed to avoid a backup collision. The area directly behind vehicles has been described as a "killing zone" due to associated accidents. Backup cameras are usually connected to the vehicle head unit display. A common variant is a Surround View system, which assembles a synthetic but positionally accurate top-down view of the vehicle and its adjacencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Side-view mirror</span>

A side-view mirror, also known as a wing mirror, is a mirror placed on the exterior of motor vehicles for the purposes of helping the driver see areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle, outside the driver's peripheral vision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of sport utility vehicles</span> Problems with the automobile class

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have been criticized for a variety of environmental and safety-related reasons. They generally have poorer fuel efficiency and require more resources to manufacture than smaller vehicles, thus contributing more to climate change and environmental degradation. Their higher center of gravity significantly increases their risk of rollovers. Their larger mass increases their momentum, which results in a larger braking distance and more damage to other road users in collisions. Their higher front-end profile reduces visibility and makes them at least twice as likely to kill pedestrians they hit. Additionally, the psychological sense of security they provide influences drivers to drive less cautiously or rely on their car for their perceived safety, rather than their own driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle safety technology</span> Special technology developed to ensure the safety and security of automobiles

Vehicle safety technology (VST) in the automotive industry refers to the special technology developed to ensure the safety and security of automobiles and their passengers. The term encompasses a broad umbrella of projects and devices within the automotive world. Notable examples of VST include geo-fencing capabilities, remote speed sensing, theft deterrence, damage mitigation, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and car-to-computer communication devices which use GPS tracking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reversing (vehicle maneuver)</span> Vehicle maneuver

Reversing is the process of driving a vehicle in the reverse direction in order to maneuver. Rear view mirrors are somewhat standard equipment for this endeavor. Extremely large or luxury vehicles may have in addition technical aids such as backup cameras. Many industrial vehicles such as fork lifts automatically activate a repetitive warning beep whilst reversing. In the UK lorries may be fitted with warning devices which repeatedly announce "Attention: this vehicle is reversing", or the equivalent phrase in Welsh: "Sylw: mae'r Saeson wedi dwyn ein gwlad".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collision avoidance system</span> Motorcar safety system

A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its basic form, a forward collision warning system monitors a vehicle's speed, the speed of the vehicle in front of it, and the distance between the vehicles, so that it can provide a warning to the driver if the vehicles get too close, potentially helping to avoid a crash. Various technologies and sensors that are used include radar (all-weather) and sometimes laser (LIDAR) and cameras to detect an imminent crash. GPS sensors can detect fixed dangers such as approaching stop signs through a location database. Pedestrian detection can also be a feature of these types of systems.

<i>Objects in mirror are closer than they appear</i> Safety warning on convex mirrors

The phrase "objects in (the) mirror are closer than they appear" is a safety warning that is required to be engraved on passenger side mirrors of motor vehicles in many places such as the United States, Canada, Nepal, India, and South Korea. It is present because while these mirrors' convexity gives them a useful field of view, it also makes objects appear smaller. Since smaller-appearing objects seem further away than they actually are, a driver might make a maneuver such as a lane change assuming an adjacent vehicle is a safe distance behind, when in fact it is quite a bit closer. The warning serves as a reminder to the driver of this potential problem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Car Assessment Program</span> Government car safety evaluation program

A New Car Assessment Program is a government car safety program tasked with evaluating new automobile designs for performance against various safety threats.

Omniview technology is a vehicle parking assistant technology that first was introduced in 2007 as the "Around View Monitor" option for the Nissan Elgrand and Infiniti EX. It is designed to assist drivers in monitoring their surroundings, for example, while parking a vehicle in a small space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back-in angle parking</span>

Back-in angle parking, also called back-in diagonal parking, reverse angle parking, reverse diagonal parking, or reverse echelon parking, is a traffic engineering technique intended to improve the safety of on-street parking.

References

  1. 1 2 "The danger of blind zones The area behind your vehicle can be a killing zone". Consumer Reports . Consumers Union. March 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  2. "U.S NON-TRAFFIC FATALITIES BY TYPE (2006-2010)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  3. "Nonfatal Motor-Vehicle--Related Backover Injuries Among Children --- United States, 2001--2003".
  4. 1 2 3 "Government Backs Up On Rearview Car Cameras". National Public Radio. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  5. Deaths and Injuries Resulting from Certain Non-Traffic and Non-Crash Events. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. May 2004.
  6. Pub. L.   110–189 (text) (PDF)
  7. Ford Motor Company (2008). "See It, Hear It, Feel It: Ford Seeks Most Effective Driver Warnings for Active Safety Technology. Increased warnings indicate potentially hazardous lane changes". Gale, Cengage Learning/Free Library. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  8. Jensen, Christopher (August 18, 2009). "Are Blind Spots a Myth?". The New York Times . Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  9. Automobile Blind-Spot Monitoring System, Tri-City Insurance News, January 27, 2006 Archived December 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine