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Tragically one child, often a toddler, is run over in the driveway of their own home every week in Australia. In Queensland, four children under five die each year as a result of a low-speed run-over and 81 children present at hospital emergency departments with injuries,
usually serious, with 60% requiring admission. A slow moving vehicle reversing down a driveway can trap a child, causing fatal crush injuries. Children who survive are often left with severe long-term injuries.
Driveway accidents mainly involve toddlers, who are old enough to be mobile but are too small to be easily visible from the driving position when close to the vehicle.
The Facts*
§ Low speed run-over is the third most common cause of death by injury in the toddler age group in Queensland (1-4 years).
§ Children aged one to two years are the most likely to be killed or injured in home driveways.
§ The vehicle is usually only moving slowly and is often being driven by a parent, relative or friend.
§ 60% of vehicles were reversing at the time.
§ 41% of vehicles were 4WDs. As 4WDs make up only 6% of passenger vehicles in Queensland, there is an increased risk with this type of vehicle. Other large vehicles such as utes, vans and trucks are also involved more often than sedan type cars § The highest proportion of driveway fatal accidents occur on weekdays in the early morning between
8:00am and 10:00am and in the late afternoon between 4:00pm and 6:00pm. We don’t think of children as being in danger in such a familiar environment, but they are.
Why the risk?
Young children are naturally inquisitive and want to see what is going on. They move surprisingly fast and can run on to the street without warning. In the time it takes for the driver to say goodbye and start the car, a child can move from a ‘safe’ position onto the driveway and into the path of the vehicle. Most drivers are aware of their car’s ‘blind spots’
however the rear vision of a number of popular cars has been tested and results show that there is in fact a large ‘blind space’ behind most cars, particularly when reversing. Even if your car has parking sensors or a video camera fitted, you may not notice a small child until it is too late to stop. Parking sensors will activate anyway when you are in a situation such as parallel parking and may be ignored. Most accidents occur in fine weather and bright
conditions. Children are more vulnerable on local streets and driveways.
Case Study
One-year-old Estelle was helping her mum wind up the hose in the backyard of her home, when her dad accidentally reversed his car over her. Her mum had realised that the garden hose was caught and she momentarily took her eyes off Estelle. When she turned back, Estelle was lying under the car. Her head was free of the car wheels, but she could see that she'd obviously been run over. She was having a lot of difficulty breathing. She was very blue. Incredibly, Estelle escaped serious injury, but her parents remain haunted by their close call. They find it hard to believe that the car ran right over her and she's still with them today.
For further information visit the NRMA website on
http://www.nrma.com.au/pub/nrma/home/homehelp/safe ty/driveway.shtml.
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