Backover Accidents: Especially Dangerous To Small Children

Whether it occurs in the driveway of your home or out in a public parking area, backover accidents can be deadly and devastating. Backover accidents often prove fatal to small children who are too young to be seen by drivers. Backover accidents are especially difficult because in many cases it is the child’s own parent behind the wheel of the vehicle.

But children are not the only ones prone to being victims of backover accidents. Depending on the size of the vehicle backing out of a space, any pedestrian in the driver’s blind spot is susceptible to injury caused by drivers going in reverse.

Backover accidents can be deadly but many are preventable. Here are some tips to help drivers avoid backover accidents in public spaces and private drives:

Keep Track of Children

Before entering a vehicle, drivers should take a good look around to ensure that their family members are not hanging around a vehicle. Getting into the car and putting it into reverse is what many drivers do automatically. But taking the time to check out the surroundings can be a matter of life and death. Double check that small children are in the house and not loitering in the yard near the driveway were they can run out into danger.

Double Check Blind Spots

When backing out of any space, do not rely solely on your mirrors when checking for pedestrians. Turn your body around in both directions to analyze your blind spots before proceeding in reverse.

Go Slowly

When you are driving your vehicle in reverse, back up very slowly while looking at your surroundings to be sure your path is clear. Backing out of spaces at high speeds is a danger to pedestrians as well as other drivers.

Use Technology

There are many devices on the market today that can aid drivers in seeing what is behind their vehicle. Backup camera systems can be installed into vehicles or plugged into the cigarette lighter that provides a visual image of what is behind the vehicle.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a vehicle accident when the driver was in reverse, it is important to protect your rights. You can contact our office for a consultation of your vehicle-related injury by calling toll free at (914) 361 – 4888 or using our online contact form.