Technology may help prevent back-over deaths of kids

May 05, 2011

investigators tell kob eyewitness news four no charges will be filed against a neighbor who accidently ran over an albuquerque toddler. the neighbor backed over the boy friday night at an apartment complex near carlisle and comanche. the boy is in stable condition tonight. that toddler was one of three kids in new mexico who was backed over this week. two of those children died after being run over in their own driveways. tonight heather mills looked into a technology that could help prevent these kinds of accidents. she's live downtown. heather? tom, nicole... unfortunately backover accidents aren't declining ... so the government is mandating rear-view visiblity standards for all vehicles by 10:07 pm 2014. that includes cameras that can show you what a rear view mirror can't. two days ago neiahmiah gonazalez was killed in a backover accident in his own driveway. "we weren't prepared. you don't ever think that it's going to happen. he was there and within two minutes he was gone." the 18-month-old wandered behind the vehicle before anyone even knew he was gone. janette fennel, the founder and president of kids and cars.. says every week two children are killed in backover accidents across the counry. "even if you're using yo rear-view mirror and side mirrors perfectly, there's an area back there where you cannot see a small child." by 20-14 all new vehicles will be required to have rear- view cameras. "i don't think anyone would buy a vehicle if we couldn't see 20 feet going forward but we are buying vehicles where we can see that or more going backward." some automakers already offer cameras 10:08 pm as as option.. like nissan. "it's just so big around the vehicle and sometimes people get so busy with their lives that you know, a young child may dart out of an open door an accidentally be behind the vehicle." but can the cameras really remove blindspots? "if you have children playing on this side or if you have children playing there, and you don't see them, you can actually be, you know, it'll show up on here so we tested it. here you can't see the kids.. but in the camera you can! of course - in the end - it still comes down to the driver. a big thing is to make sure to check underneath the car, make sure you check behind the tires. if you know there's small kids around, go around the whole car, it won't take but a minute even at that." fennel says absolutely any vehicle can be retro-fitted with a camera... for as little as 100 dollars. 10:09 pm live downtown, heather mills, kob eye witness news four.