The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that at least 183 people die annually from back over crashes and as many as 7,419 people are injured.  NHTSA Issued a report to congress late last year examining the issue and found that minivans, pickup trucks and SUV's have a higher involvement rate in back over crashes than passenger vehicles. 

 

According to the Consumer Reports study, the longest blind spots are found in pickup trucks followed by minivans and SUV's. However, the study found that while the average blind spot tested for SUVS was higher than Sedans, it does not imply that all SUV's have worse visibility than Sedans.

 

In it's report. NHTSA examined the available products a technologies that can help motorists avoid back over crashes, which are marketed primarily as parking aides. It found that sensor-based systems, including ultrasonic and radar, were not sufficient to prevent collisions with pedestrians or other objects. While camera-based systems were more reliable in identifying people in the path of a backing up vehicle, the systems have limitations.  The speed being traveled, the level of driver attention and reaction time all play significant roles in estimating the systems' effectiveness, as well as the conditions such as rain, fog or sun glare.

 

While NHTSA is continuing to study the issue, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is surveying thousands of AAA members who have purchased vehicles equipped with parking aids to determine drivers' opinion of them as part of a review of their effectiveness.

 

Safety Tips for Parents
Keeping your children out of harm’s way requires ongoing education, supervision, and vigilance: there simply is no single fail-safe solution. However, safety experts advise employing the following strategies to help reduce the risk of a back over tragedy occurring:

• Ensure your children are properly supervised at all times, especially wherever motor vehicles might be present.
  
   
• Teach children not to play in, under, or around vehicles — ever.
  
   
• Always assume children could be present and carefully check the street, driveway, and area around your vehicle before backing out.
  
   
• Avoid making your driveway a “playground.” If you do allow children in this area, make sure that it’s only when there are no vehicles present. To further protect children who may be outside playing, separate the driveway from the roadway with a physical barrier to prevent any cars from entering.
  
   
• To prevent curious children from ever putting a vehicle in gear, never leave vehicles running, and keep all vehicles, even those in driveways and garages, locked up tight.
  
   
• When backing up, always know where all children are and have them stay in your full view and well away from your vehicle.
  
   
• Look behind you as you back out S-L-O-W-L-Y with your windows rolled down to listen for children who may have dashed behind your vehicle suddenly — and be prepared to stop!
  
   
• 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.

Finally, talk with neighborhood parents about back over incidents and ask them to teach their children not to play in or around any vehicle or driveway. By working together to promote awareness and protective home and neighborhood environments, we can help to keep all our children safe.