Driveway Backovers & Front-Overs
Spot it
A toddler who can slip out the door while someone is leaving or arriving; toys, bikes and a play area at the end of the driveway; a large truck, van or SUV with a big rear blind zone; a driver who has just come home and is not expecting a child to run out.
Fix it
NHTSA's advice: walk around the vehicle before you move it, teach children not to play near cars and to step away when a driver gets in or starts one, have kids wait to the side of the driveway where you can see them, keep toys and bikes out of the driveway, and keep the window down so you can hear. NHTSA also warns that detection devices cannot take the place of walking around the car. Kids and Car Safety adds: over 60% of backovers involve a truck, van or SUV; most happen in driveways and parking lots; in over 70% of incidents a parent or close relative is driving; and the risk peaks during arrivals and departures, so keep young children directly supervised then. If no other adult is home, buckle the child in the car before you move it. This page covers backing up; front-overs (a child in front of a car pulling forward) follow the same walk-around rule.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Walk all the way around the car before you move it, every timeHabit
Free; the first thing NHTSA and Kids and Car Safety say, and sensors don't replace it
Hold a hand or buckle the kids in before you move the car; no solo play in the drivewayHabit
Free; arrivals and departures are when most home incidents happen (Kids and Car Safety)
Rearview camera or 360-degree camera on an older vehicle without one
Kids and Car Safety says cameras can be added to any vehicle; NHTSA says they supplement, not replace, the walk-around
Door alarms or door covers so you know when a child leaves the house
Kids and Car Safety's suggestion for the moment someone is leaving or arriving
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- Kids and Car Safety estimates at least 50 children are backed over in the US every week (about 2 do not survive), and the most common victim age is one year. NHTSA counted 284 backover deaths of all ages in 2015 — Kids and Car Safety ("Backover Facts"): the 50-children-a-week estimate is theirs; the 284 deaths (all ages, 2015) are NHTSA's figure (DOT HS 812 515, April 2018) as they report it. (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
Related checks
- Rollaway & Keys in the Car — A car left unattended can also move on its own: keys, Park and the parking brake.