Product Redesign / Engineering
Vehicles and children are safer today due to our passionate pursuit of protecting children in and around vehicles. Below are a few examples of KidsAndCars.org’s successes.
- Partnered with Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports) to bring attention to nontraffic dangers. Consumers Union now measures the blindzone behind all vehicles they test and provide the information free of charge on their website to the public.
- Internal trunk release mechanisms are now required in all vehicles beginning with model year 2002 and newer. It doesn’t matter where on earth a vehicle is manufactured; but if it is sold or leased in the US an internal glow-in-the-dark trunk release can be found in the trunk. There has not been one fatality in the trunk of a vehicle that contains a glow‐in‐dark release mechanism.
- Safer power window switches are now required on all vehicles due to the work KAC has done to eliminate the dangerous rocker and toggle switches. Children can no longer inadvertently raise power windows by kneeling or standing on a rocker or toggle power window switch that can strangle children or cut off fingers with 40‐80 pounds of force.
- The fact that you cannot take your vehicle out‐of‐gear unless you have your foot on the brake pedal is due to KAC’s efforts.
- KAC was the force behind the policy change requiring our government to set a rear visibility standard so we no longer have to back up blindly. The final rule prescribed by Congress was required by law to be issued by February of 2011. After four delays, the government finally issued the final rule in March of 2014. The standard requires rearview camera systems to be installed in all passenger vehicles in the U.S. by 2018.
- KAC is responsible for two provisions in the most recently passed Federal Transportation bill, MAP-21.
- Seat belt reminder systems will now be required in all seating positions.
- A study about how technology could help prevent children from being inadvertently left alone in vehicles is also required.
