Parents, consumer and safety groups gave a standing ovation to the Senate's unanimous passage on Feb. 14 of H.R. 1216, an important child auto safety measure.

The bill, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, was named after 2-year-old Cameron, who was killed when he was inadvertently backed over by a SUV because the blind zone behind the vehicle made it impossible to see him. Dr. Greg Gulbransen, a Long Island pediatrician expressed gratitude that the long-awaited bill, named after his son, has now been approved by the Senate after having been approved by the House in December.

Relatives of children who were injured or died in preventable non-traffic auto incidents along with many others joined the safety and consumer groups in support of the bill including Susan Auriemma of Manhasset whose daughter, Kate age 31/2, was backed over and injured on May 27, 2005.

"With Senate passage, the Congress has spoken clearly - the safety of our children is a top priority. We now urge President Bush to sign the bill into law," said Janette Fennell, president of KIDS AND CARS.

The bill addresses three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles: getting caught in an automatically closing power window; being struck by a backing vehicle because of an unacceptable blind zone; and placing a vehicle in gear that results in an uncontrolled roll away without having to depress the brake.

The legislation directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue new safety standards within specific time periods that will lead to the installation of safety technologies as standard equipment in all vehicles to prevent deaths and injuries in and around motor vehicles. These safety technologies are already available as standard equipment, upgrades or optional equipment in many makes and models of vehicles. The bill also requires the department to establish a database of non-crash incidents and develop a program to provide the public with safety information regarding non-traffic dangers to young children.

A 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 9,100 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms (176 per week) due to non-traffic incidents in a one-year time period.

The Senate bill had 37 Democratic and Republican co-sponsors and the House bill had 43.