Stories of back-over accidents are all too familiar in Oklahoma.
In August 2013, a tragic accident in Jefferson County claimed the life of a 2-year-old boy when the boy was run over in a driveway. Oklahoma Highway Patroltroopers said a 72-year-old relative was backing a pickup truck out of the driveway when the toddler ran behind the vehicle. Family members transportedthe boy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead of massive head trauma.
In June 2013, a 1-year-old girl was killed in Oklahoma City after police say her father backed over her in the family driveway, although the familydisputes the police's version of the story and say they think a wild dog killed the girl and the father discovered the body when he was backing outof the driveway.
In February 2012, a 2-year-old Broken Arrow girl was killed when she walked around one of two trucks parked side-by-side in a driveway and was backed overby her 22-year-old uncle. Because she came from behind another vehicle, he could not see her.
In July 2011, a 15-month-old girl in Jenks was killed when she was accidentally run over by her father, who was backing a Chevy Tahoe out of the driveway.
Tragedies like these occur with shocking regularity. According to Safe Kids Worldwide,each day 7 children aged 1-14 are treated for injuries sustained when being backed over by a motor vehicle. Reports from the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) show that approximately 230 children are killed in back-over accidents each year.
KidsandCars.org reveals the following statistics about back-over accidents:
Child safety experts caution that motor vehicles do not have a "blind spot," but rather a "blind zone," which blocks visibility for a significant areabehind a vehicle. In one telling photograph on KidsandCars.org, there are 62 children standing and sitting behind a large SUV, and none of them arevisible to the driver. Consumer Reports liststhe size of the blind zone for several different vehicles and driver height. For example, a 5'1" driver of a 2003 Suzuki Aerio GS must be a full 49feet away from a traffic cone before he or she can see the top of the cone. The same height driver in a pickup truck may have a blind zone as largeas 8 feet wide by 50 feet long.
Backup cameras can help prevent tragic accidents, but they are not equipped in all motor vehicles. Mottos like "Spot the Tot" and "Slow Down, Walk Around"remind drivers to completely walk around a vehicle, checking for small children before backing out of a driveway or parking space. Other safety tipsfrom Safe Kids Worldwide include:
Preventable accidents are emotionally challenging for victims and their families, even more so when a young child is critically injured or killed. Formore information on preventing back-over accidents, visit KidsandCars.org.
