New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign legislation this week that will require large trucks traveling in New York City to be equipped with special crossover convex mirrors to eliminate blind spots.
Demand for extra safety measures intensified after an accident on May 12 where a 4-year-old boy was killed in Brooklyn by a delivery truck. In New York City, 204 pedestrians were killed and another 4,698 injured by trucks between 1994 and 2003, according to the New York Daily News.
"Requiring trucks to be equipped with special convex mirrors is a necessary step that will hopefully reduce the number of injuries and deaths that have been the result of a drivers' inability to see pedestrians that pass in front of their vehicle," said Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto.
The Cuomo administration cites federal statistics that show 71% of pedestrians killed by large trucks were hit by the front of the vehicle.
The mirror bill, which has failed to move through the state legislature in previous years, is backed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Senate bill sponsor Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) applauded the pending bill, according to the New York Daily News. Golden said it the new law will provide immeasurable safety to pedestrians in the city.
“It’s been long overdue,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that many children and seniors had met their fates at the hands of these trucks that didn't have the convex mirrors.”
