Northern Light Pediatrics-Newsletter

Driveway dangers:
Check for children before you back up

The horror is almost unimaginable: A toddler bolts onto the driveway just before her father prepares to back out in the family SUV. Thinking his family is still indoors and unable to spot any obstacles in the rearview mirror, he drives in reverse, backing over his own child.

Back-over accidents are the second leading cause of motor vehicle-related child deaths and often are preventable. The dangers have received greater attention lately with more families driving SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans, which have less rear visibility.

The nonprofit organization Kids and Cars (www.kidsandcars.org) reported that back-over incidents killed 91 children in 2003, a 57% increase from 2002. Injuries are much higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 7475 children 1 to 14 years old were treated in emergency departments for back-over injuries during 2001-2003.

A study in the August 2001 issue of Pediatrics noted that since driveway injuries are not typically regarded as reportable to the police, they often go under-recognized. Younger children generally are more severely injured in driveway-related crashes.

Although there are safety devices on the market such as electronic collision warning systems, a 2003 study in Injury Prevention found that preschoolers did not heed a back-up warning alarm, perhaps because they felt safe seeing a parent or teacher nearby.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is supporting recently proposed federal legislation, which would require that within 18 months of its passage all new light passenger vehicles be equipped with power windows and panels that automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped, injured, or killed. The Kenneth Gulbranson Kids and Cars Safety Act (H.R. 2230) proposed by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) was named after a 2-year-old Long Island boy who was killed tragically when his father, pediatrician Greg Gulbranson, M.D., FAAP, back over him in their home driveway.

Other safety equipment called for under the proposed bill includes:

a system of notification so that once the ignition switch is in the "off" position, the driver is alerted if passengers remain in any of the rear seating positions of the vehicle; and
a rear visibility performance standard that would provide drivers with an unobstructed view of the area behind the vehicle to prevent back-over incidents.

To avoid back-over injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to walk behind their cars before backing out of the driveway.
Other experts suggest:

Always supervise children playing near parked cars and ensure that other caregivers take the same precautions.
Teach children that a parked car could move.
Keep vehicles locked.
Honk your horn before backing up.
If possible, keep play areas fenced off from your driveway.
Investigate rear cameras, sensors, and alarms, but don't rely on these devices to take the place of careful supervision.

-2005 American Academy of Pediatrics