WAUKESHA, Wis. — A three-year-old boy in Pleasant Prairie is dead because of a dangerous front-end blind spot that is becoming more common as vehicles get bigger. A proposed law looks to stop these tragedies from happening by requiring front-end cameras and sensors on vehicles.
Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires backup cameras on all new vehicles. A proposed bill could make similar technology standard for the front of vehicles.
“My baby's last memory was chasing a ball,” said Crystal Edmonds.
Crystal’s son Brody died after he was hit by a pick-up truck in his driveway in Pleasant Prairie on Feb. 19. The three-year-old died from something called a frontover crash, when a driver hits something right in front of them.
“A camera in the front or beeping sensor would have saved my son's life,” said Crystal.
Frontover crashes have nearly doubled in this country in 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2008 there were 251 deaths, in 2020 there were 526 deaths and most of the victims were 4 years old or younger.
“There is a very simple solution, some kind of camera or sensors,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut).
He introduced the Standards to Prevent Frontovers Act or STOP Frontovers Act last fall. It would require all cars to have the technology to alert drivers if there is an object in front of their vehicle. Right now, that technology comes standard on the Jeep Wagoneer and the Cadillac Escalade.
Watch: Rebecca Klopf shows how the cameras work
“It is a 360 camera it will detect not only visually but electronically if something is on the front, the sides, completely around the car,” said Jim Kemp, general sales manager at Boucher Cadillac of Waukesha.
By walking close to the front of the vehicle, TMJ4 reporter Rebecca Klopf was able to set off the alerts, which flashed on the driver’s dash and caused the seat to vibrate.
“You can see her on the side, walking around to the front. Now my seat sense started vibrating,” said Kemp.
“Safety ought to be standard and these devices could save kids' lives,” said Blumenthal.
The STOP Frontovers Act was introduced in November of 2022 and is currently in committee in the Senate.
