Austin Haver Memorial Act

This is a petition seeking legislative approval of an amendment to Section 4513.23 of the Ohio Revised Code, to be known as the Austin Haver Memorial Act.
The amendment is patterned after C.J.s Law in Washington State and the Joey Henderson Memorial Act in New York State.
It will require that all delivery trucks and large passenger vehicles such as sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks be equipped with either rear cross view mirrors or electronic sensing devices that alert drivers of such vehicles to the presence of a small child or elderly or disabled citizen behind the vehicle.
Austin died January 25, 2003, in a convenience store parking lot, under the wheels of a sports utility vehicle. His death could have been prevented if the vehicle had been equipped with a backing safety device.
Rear cross view mirrors were developed by K-10 Enterprises and Federal Express in the early 1980s and are now used on FedEx trucks that make residential deliveries. In a one-year test of the mirrors, rear cross view mirrors produced a 33 percent reduction in backing crashes involving FedEx trucks. They are mounted in such a way at the rear of the vehicle that they allow the driver to see the area behind his or her vehicle when looking in the side view mirror.
They can be mounted on the rear of canopies on pick up trucks. They cost about $50. Electronic sensing devices now on the market for about $250 use a variety of technologies, including Doppler radar, infrared and ultra-sound. They are offered as options on a number of vehicles.
These devices are wired into the backup light circuit and are activated when the vehicles transmission is put in reverse gear. They warn the driver by flashing a light and making a beeping sound when the beam they transmit detects an object behind the vehicle.
Please sign the petition to protect societys most vulnerable members and contact Austins mother, Colleen Miller, at 2380 Greely Chapel Rd, Lima, Ohio 45804.