For Immediate Release: July 22, 2010
Contacts: Kristin Milam or Kerry Hall: 919-733-5238
Prevent "Backover" and "Frontover" Accidents
Commissioner Goodwin and Safe Kids NC remind drivers that a five-second check can save a child's life.
RALEIGH -- After hearing reports that a 15-month-old Wayne County child was critically injured yesterday when her father was moving his vehicle, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, chair of Safe Kids North Carolina, is reminding all drivers to help prevent these kinds of tragedies.
Parents and caregivers should always be aware of the risk of "backover" or "frontover" incidents when children are near vehicles or in driveways and parking lots. Sadly, the drivers in these incidents are often family members or friends of the injured child.
"From the driver's seat, it can be difficult or impossible to see a child in front of or behind your vehicle," Goodwin said. "A five-second walk around the car before you get in could prevent serious injuries or save a child's life."
Safe Kids urges everyone to take these simple precautions:
- Walk all the way around your parked vehicle to check for children before getting in and starting the engine. Also, make sure there are no pets, toys or other items near the vehicle that could attract a child.
- Accompany young children when they get in and out of a vehicle. Hold a child's hand when walking near moving vehicles.
- Have children play in safe areas that are away from parked or moving vehicles. Block driveways so cars cannot enter and exit.
- Designate a safe spot within a driver's sight for children to wait when nearby vehicles are about to move.
- Teach children that vehicles are not a place to play and that it is dangerous to approach a moving vehicle.
--NCDOI--