Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Six Ways to Reduce the Risk of Backover Accidents
Vehicle backover injuries and deaths occur when anyone, without the driver's knowledge, is positioned behind the vehicle as the driver is backing out of a driveway or other parked location. Unfortunately, most victims of backovers are children.
According to kidsandcars.org, at least two children are killed in non vehicle incidents every WEEK. To add to the tragedy of backover injuries and deaths, the driver is often a neighbor or relative. When a child is the victim, the driver may even be the child's mother or father.
Since most of these incidents occur on private property not out on the road they are not typically included in traffic-crash fatality data. Experts often can't agree on the exact number of children injured or killed in backover incidents each year. Even one child injured or killed is too high a statistic.
Blind spots are a major cause in these deaths; a blind spot is the place behind your vehicle that you cannot see in the rear or side view mirrors. The larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot. Keeping your child safe requires ongoing supervision as there is no fail-safe solution.
Reduce your risk with these six tips:
- Make sure your child is properly supervised at all times, especially wherever motor vehicles might be present.
- Do no teach or allow your child to play in, under, or around vehicles — ever.
- Always assume your child might be present and double check the street, driveway, and area around your vehicle before backing out.
- Avoid making your driveway a "playground."
- Look behind you, back out slowly, keep your windows rolled down and listen for children who may have dashed behind your vehicle suddenly — and be prepared to stop immediately.
- If you're driving an SUV or truck, remember that the blind spot behind your vehicle can be especially large; use extreme care whenever you back up.
If your child has suffered the tragedy of a backover accident, contact us.The Boston child injury lawyers at Kiley Law Group are here to help you receive the maximum settlement for your case.
