Texas Accident & Injury News
Driveways are not safe places for children to play.
Over 100 Children Are Run Over in Parking Lots and Driveways Weekly
According to a KSAT News report, a recent statistic shows that 110 children are hit by cars in parking lots and driveways every week in the United States.
Kids and Car Safety, a nationwide nonprofit, reported an alarming statistic showing that small children are extremely vulnerable to being hit and seriously injured (or killed) in parking lots and driveways across the United States. Sadly, many of these accidents involve a parent or relative driving the vehicle, showing that it can happen to anyone. The nonprofit urges drivers to take extra caution when backing up or driving forward through parking lots, even if you don’t expect small children to be present.
Did You Know?
Texas has the 2nd highest number of frontover accidents involving small children in the United States, just behind California.
Why Kids Get Runover in Parking Lots and Driveways in San Antonio
Nothing is more devastating to a parent than watching their child get hurt.
Small children across San Antonio can so easily be hurt in a parking lot or driveway. They don’t understand boundaries like sidewalks and parking lots and have no idea how dangerous cars are. Teaching your children parking lot and driveway safety is important, but there is something drivers should do to avoid these accidents and keep San Antonio kids safe.
Avoiding a Backover Accident
Backover accidents primarily happen in parking lots and driveways. 70% of the time, a parent or relative is driving the car. Contributing reasons for this include:
- Bye-Bye Syndrome™ — Small children don’t like to be told goodbye. In many cases, a child will follow a relative outside without the adult’s knowledge. They then hide behind the vehicle and are run over.
- Lack of Driver Awareness — All drivers should check around their vehicle and be aware of any nearby children before backing out of a parking space or driveway. It’s also a good idea to roll your window down slightly so that you can hear if someone is yelling at you to stop.
Have an adult supervise children until you have left the driveway, and keep children in strollers or shopping baskets while in parking lots.
Avoiding a Frontover Accident
Frontover accidents also primarily happen in driveways and parking lots. 61% of cases involve a parent or relative behind the wheel. Contributing factors include:
- Unpredictability — Children dart out in front of moving vehicles before the parents can stop them.
- Vehicle Blind Spot — Every vehicle has a blind spot in the front where the driver cannot see. It can be up to 15 ft on larger vehicles.
- Returning Relatives — Children run into the driveway to greet mom or dad and are hit.
Installing a child lock on the front door to prevent children from running out unsupervised is a good way to prevent these accidents at home. Drivers should be aware of their blind spot and consider installing a 360° crash-avoidance system if your vehicle doesn’t have one.
Child Injured in a Parking Lot or Driveway in San Antonio? Call Carabin Shaw.
If a careless driver hits your child in a parking lot or driveway, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
We can help you find out. Call Carabin Shaw’s child injury attorneys at 800-862-1260 or use the live chat to get your case evaluated for free. Stand up for your child with attorneys who put their clients first. We look forward to serving you.
Contacting a Carabin Shaw attorney is free and does not obligate you to work with the firm.