Safe in 60: Preventing driveway backover accidents

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –We are well into summer and have already heard of some tragedies involving children and cars.

Nationwide, children are backed over by vehicles every single day, and in most of those accidents, the driver is a parent or family member.

According to Kids and Cars, those victims are usually toddlers, between 12 to 23 months old.

There are habits I recommend so this never happens to you.

First, always walk around your car before you leave your driveway. Most children are shorter than the windows of your car which makes it very difficult to see them. That’s especially true here in Utah, where a lot of us drive SUVs.

This is a good practice even if you have a newer car with a back-up camera. The child may not appear on the camera until it’s too late.

Kids have a tendency to follow mom and dad out of the house. If you are dropping your child off or leaving them home with someone, double check to make sure they haven’t followed you out the door.

And kids can get excited and don’t always pay close attention. Slow down and watch for children when driving next to parked or stopped vehicles. They can dart out from in-between parked cars leaving you very little time to react.

Taking those extra second to check around your car, or slowing down, just might save the life of a child.

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For more information on pedestrian safety, see the links below:

Safe in 60: Rules for sharing the road with pedestrians and bicyclists

Utah Department of Health – Pedestrian Safety

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Pedestrian Safety

Federal Highway Administration – Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety