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The Impact of a Federally Mandated Car Safety Feature on Rate and Severity of Pediatric Backover Trauma
A 2018 federal mandate to equip all new vehicles with a backup camera was associated with a significant decrease in severe injuries and death in small children according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition. Kids and Car Safety worked tirelessly for over 16 years to move the rear visibility standard forward and we are thrilled to report that our recent study showed a near-50% reduction in severe backover injuries and 78% fewer deaths in small children!
Justice and Parental Blameworthiness: Gender and Racial Disparities in the Criminalization of Hot Car Deaths
Elizabeth Borland, Mary Nell Trautner, Jordan Ekstrom, Cameron Keating, Elizabeth Wood, Janette Fennell, Amber Rollins, First published: 23 June 2025
In the aftermath of a “hot car death,” police make decisions about arrests, and prosecutors determine what type of punishment, if any, a parent should face. The study examines the role that parental gender and race play in the arrests, charges, and convictions in hot car death cases. The survey was conducted as part of the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), featuring questions developed by The College of New Jersey’s Justice and Blameworthiness Lab (JABLab) in collaboration with Kids and Car Safety. We analyzed 267 hot car deaths between 2000 and 2019. We found that mothers and non-White parents are more likely to be arrested and face harsher prosecution: they are criminally charged more often than fathers and White parents. Non-White mothers are treated most harshly. These findings illuminate inequities in the criminal justice system and underscore the need for communities to raise awareness and for new policies rather than criminalizing hot car deaths.
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