Car cameras can't reverse child driveway accidents

The New Zealand Transport Agency is warning parents and drivers to be careful about relying on reversing cameras as the sole solution.

An estimated five children are killed in driveways each year, with 20 hospitalised annually, according to child safety organisation Safekids Aotearoa.

Safekids Aotearoa director Ann Weaver said there was no evidence to suggest that reversing cameras had increased driveway accidents, but stressed that the technology has its limitations.

She said reversing cameras were unreliable because they don’t provide a 360-degree view from the driver’s seat, saying it was also important to note “vehicles moving forward cause 30 per cent of driveway run overs”.

Ms Weaver said reversing cameras should never be solely relied in residential driveways.

“We recommend that parents check for children in driveways by walking around the car, and making sure children are with a responsible adult.”

NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said the key message is to be an aware driver and that reversing cameras should never be solely relied on to prevent collisions.

“It doesn’t replace the need for you to be using your mirrors and checking [over] your shoulders.”

The American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study on the effectiveness of reversing cameras and sensors in preventing a collision.

The study showed 75 per cent of drivers in vehicles with reversing cameras and sensors failed in preventing a collision with a moving dummy.

Surprisingly, in the same test, 56 per cent of vehicles fitted only with a reversing camera had a collision.

Despite this, Knackstedt said that reversing technology should not be considered dangerous.

“They are not a danger but like any other piece of technology they’ve got to be used in the context of being a good prudent driver,” said Mr Knackstedt.

Tauranga resident Ewen McLeod, who owns a Toyota Rav4 with a reversing camera, said the vehicle's reversing camera has technical problems that could influence an accident.

“In our car the camera doesn’t start straight away, so you can find yourself reversing before the camera has come up onto the screen,” he said.

McLeod said he often reverses without looking at the camera and did not rely on it alone because of its delay.

Vehicle cameras are currently the most effective technology in preventing reversing collisions according to the IIHS.