Blind zones in large vehicles such as SUVs and vans have been the cause of around four child deaths a week in the US according to safety experts.

To combat this problem the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington has passed a bill that requires federal authorities to reduce blind zones in large vehicles as well as make power windows safer due to increasing power window strangulation.

While rear-vision cameras have been available for several years now, automakers rarely fit them as standard equipment and the passing of the bill led to the fear that SUV and pickup prices would increase if these cameras were made mandatory.

In a compromise between cost and safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require auto manufacturers to expand the rearward field of vision, which could be achieved with mirrors, larger windows, reverse sensors and other such technologies which would be cheaper for consumers at the end of the day.

In terms of power window strangulation, a system would have to be implemented which lowered the windows if an obstruction was detected. A system similar to this can be found in a 16 year old Mercedes (The W140 S-Class), so the major cost factor will probably lie in expanding rearward vision.