(COLO)—Nothing is more devastating to a parent than watching their child get hurt. Kids and Car Safety, a nationwide nonprofit, reported an alarming statistic showing 110 children are hit by vehicles in parking lots and driveways every week in the United States. Colorado State Patrol reviewed data over the last five years (2019 – 2023) and discovered that children aged 0 – 4 were twice as likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash than the next older age group. The Colorado State Patrol investigated 28 pedestrian crashes for toddlers (0 – 4) and only 14 for children aged 5 – 9 years old.
The majority of crashes in Colorado occurred when the vehicle moved from a parked position or at extremely low speeds. Young children can enter a vehicle's blind zone quickly and without warning. Blind zones exist at the front, side, and rear of every vehicle. The average front and rear blind zones are 15 feet from the bumper, but it can be more. The danger tends to increase with larger vehicles (truck, van, or SUV).
“The heartbreak and the community judgment that drivers involved in these crashes face is indescribable,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “We all play a role in keeping our youngest pedestrians safe. Drivers must stay alert and drive slowly in parking lots, driveways, and anywhere young children are present. And parents need to stay vigilant, providing supervision, even while kids play in the front yard or say goodbye to a loved one.”
Colorado statistics align with national trends reported by Kids and Car Safety, where children younger than 5 are at the most risk for backover and frontover collisions. Toddlers are walking/running at this age, testing the limits and trying new things. However, they do not understand the danger of vehicles and can be very impulsive.
Backover crashes primarily happen in parking lots and driveways. Contributing reasons for this include:
- Bye-Bye Syndrome™ — Small children don’t like to be told goodbye. Often, a child will follow a relative outside without the adult’s knowledge. They then hide behind the vehicle and are run over.
- Lack of Driver Awareness — All drivers should check around their vehicle and be aware of any nearby children before backing out of a parking space or driveway. It’s also a good idea to roll your window down slightly so that you can hear if someone is yelling at you to stop.
Frontover crashes also primarily happen in driveways and parking lots. Contributing factors include:
- Unpredictability — Children dart out in front of moving vehicles before the parents can stop them.
- Vehicle Blind Spot—Every vehicle has a blind spot in the front where the driver cannot see. On larger vehicles, this spot can be up to 15 feet wide.
- Returning Relatives — Children run into the driveway to greet mom or dad and are hit.
Installing a child lock on the front door to prevent children from running out unsupervised is a good way to prevent these accidents at home.
In addition, drivers should be aware of their blind spots and consider installing a 360° crash-avoidance system if their vehicle doesn’t have one. Kids and Car Safety offered some additional prevention tips:
- Walk completely around your vehicle, scanning the area for children and pets before moving it. If you see or hear children, be sure an adult directly supervises them.
- If you need to move a vehicle without another adult present, make children move away from your vehicle to a place where you can clearly see them or put them in the car with you before moving the car.
- Never allow young children to walk through parking lots. Young children should always be carried or placed in a stroller or shopping cart in parking lots. Even holding hands cannot prevent a child from darting away.
- Do not allow children to play unsupervised in driveways, cul-de-sacs or parking lots.
- Trim landscaping around the driveway to ensure drivers can see the sidewalk, street and pedestrians clearly when backing out of their driveway. Pedestrians also need to be able to see a vehicle pulling out of the driveway.
- When backing up, roll down the driver’s side window so you can hear if someone is warning you to stop.
- Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes and periods of crisis or holidays.
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ABOUT THE COLORADO STATE PATROL
Since our origin in 1935, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has focused on preserving human life and protecting property within our communities. Our 1,100 members embody the core values of Honor, Duty, and Respect in their daily jobs. In addition to our expertise in motor vehicle safety on the state’s roadways, the CSP is responsible for the Governor and other dignitaries’ protection, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, hazardous materials, homeland security, communications, investigative services, criminal interdiction, community education, aviation operations, and more.