The Baby Proofing Blog: If I Can't See it- Then It's Not There: Vehicle back-over facts

Would you purchase a vehicle that had a 'blind-spot' big enough to hide 62 kids? If you own a SUV, mini-van, or large truck, changes are you already have. KidsAndCars.org released a video that may surprise you. It certainly surprised me. Here are the surprising numbers:

At least 50 kids are backed over by vehicles every week.

Yes, 5 - 0, as in FIFTY. Every WEEK. As in 7 days. Now I'm no mathematician, but I calculate that to be approximately 7.142857142857143 children a day. That's one child every 3.36 hours. Which means that in the time it took me to do the math (approximately 3.36 hrs), another child has become a victim of a back-over accident.

Here are the facts:

The predominant age of victims are one year olds. (12-23 months)
Over 60% of backing up incidents involved a larger size vehicle. (truck, van, SUV)
Tragically, in over 70% of these incidents, a parent or close relative is behind the wheel.
Over 2400 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms every year due a child being struck by or rolled over by a vehicle moving in reverse.

My purpose isn't to unleash widespread panic, it's to bring awareness, and awareness leads to prevention. Here are some simple tips you can take reduce the risks- the rest is up to you.

Know where the kids are and make them move to a place where you can see them in plain view. This is the perfect time for waving bye and blowing kisses.
When you leave the house, ensure that an adult is supervising the kiddos, in case they attempt to "escape" the house.
Walk around and behind a vehicle prior to backing to ensure the path is clear. Remember, a child wouldn't think twice before darting behind your vehicle to prevent his toy truck from becoming scrapyard metal.
Educate other family members and friends. Many times it is not the parent who is the driver, but a grandparent, sibling, or other relative.
And one of the best preventative measures you can take is to consider installing cross view mirrors, audible collision detectors, rear view video camera and/or some type of back up detection device.