Back-over accidents can be prevented
Staff reporter
It can happen so quickly.
One minute a child is playing in the yard. The next minute, tragedy strikes.
In the U.S., 50 children are accidentally backed over by vehicles every week. Forty-eight are treated in hospital emergency rooms and at least two children are fatally injured.
According to the Kansas Kids and Cars organization, 70 percent of the time a parent or close relative is the one behind the wheel.
The predominant age of the victims is one-year-old and more than 60 percent of the incidents involved a larger size vehicle like a truck, van, or SUV.
Back-overs can happen in any vehicle because all vehicles have blind zones which is the area behind the rear of the vehicle that can't be seen from the driver's seat.
Sondra Mayfield, Marion County Safe Kids Coordinator, said it is surprising how little visibility there is behind a vehicle and there is an affordable solution.
"A simple remedy is for drivers to install a rear-mounted camera system on the vehicle," she said. The cost is minimal and well worth it if it means saving a life.
Consumer Reports recently measured blind spots of four popular vehicles.
Honda Accord sedan, 12-foot blind spot for an average-height (five-foot eight-inch) driver and a 17-foot blind spot for a short driver (five-foot one-inch).
Dodge Grand Caravan minivan, 13-foot blind spot for an average-height driver and 23-foot blind spot for a short driver.
Toyota Sequoia SUV, 14.5-foot blind spot for an average-height driver and 24.5-foot blind spot for a short driver.
Chevrolet Avalanche pickup, 30-foot blind spot for an average-height driver and 51-foot blind spot for a short driver.
Most accidents happen at home in driveways or in parking lots.
Of the injuries caused by back-over accidents, 53.6 percent were arm and leg injuries. Head, face, and neck injuries account for 28 percent and minor contusions and abrasions made up 56 percent. Fractures and internal injuries accounted for 39.5 percent of injuries among children four years of age and younger, and 17.5 percent of injuries were among those ages 10 to 14.
Of the children between the ages of one and four, half of these injured children were sitting, playing, or walking near or behind a motor vehicle. Most accidents occur when the driver, not realizing that the child is nearby, inadvertently backs over the child.
"People tend to be in a hurry. They have to take their children to ball practice or get to school or work, and may not realize there is a child behind the vehicle," Mayfield said.
She also reminded drivers to be aware of children away from home such as at ball fields, parks, and other recreational facilities. Children may be playing in or near a parking area, unaware of the danger of being so close to vehicles.
Young children are impulsive and unpredictable, still have poor judgment, and little understanding of danger. Young children do not recognize boundaries such as property lines, sidewalks, driveways, or parking spaces. Toddlers have established independent mobility between the ages of 12-23 months, but the concept of personal safety is absent.
Back-overs often are the predictable consequences of a child following a parent into the driveway and standing behind the vehicle without the parent's knowledge.
Safety tips
— Walk around and behind a vehicle prior to moving, particularly in a parking space.
— Know where your kids are. Make children move away from the vehicle to a place where they are in full view before moving the car and know that another adult is properly supervising children before moving the vehicle.
— Teach children that "parked" vehicles might move. Let them know that they can see the vehicle but the driver might not be able to see them.
— Consider installing cross-view mirrors, audible collision detectors, a rear-view video camera, and/or some type of back-up detection device.
— Measure the size of your blind zone behind the vehicle you drive. A short driver in a pickup truck can have a rear blind zone of approximately eight feet wide by 50 feet long.
— Be aware that steep inclines and large SUVs, vans, and trucks add to the difficulty of seeing behind a vehicle.
— Hold children's hands when leaving the vehicle.
— Teach your children to never play in, around, or behind a vehicle. Always set the emergency brake.
— Keep toys and other sports equipment out of the driveway.
— Homeowners should trim landscaping around driveways to ensure they can see sidewalks, streets, and pedestrians clearly when backing out of driveways. Pedestrians also need to be able to see a vehicle pulling out of driveways.
— Never leave children alone in or around cars, not even for a minute.
— Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in garages and driveways, and always set parking brakes.
— Keys and/or remote openers should never be left within reach of children.
— Make sure all child passengers have left the car after it is parked.
— Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes, and periods of crisis or holidays.
— Show children how difficult it is to see out of the back of the car.
