10 children killed in driveway, parking lot accidents in 3 weeks, including Phoenix toddler

Across the country, 10 children have died after being struck by vehicles in off-roadway areas, such as driveways and parking lots, in the past three weeks, including a 16-month-old child in the Valley.

The boy died after being struck by a vehicle at a mobile home park in Phoenix on Sunday night. Police said the driver fled the scene and was later arrested.

“This is one of those things that nobody thinks is going to happen to them until it does, and it happens so fast,” said Amber Rollins, director of Kids and Car Safety. “Before you know it, that child is in the driveway. The person leaving has no idea they’re there.”

Blind zones play a huge role in cases of children struck by vehicles

Rollins said blind zones around a vehicle can make it nearly impossible to see children. She said a child can be up to 15 feet in front of a vehicle and still not be visible to a driver, while the blind zone behind a vehicle can reach up to 50 feet.

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began requiring all new vehicles to have rearview cameras, but many cars on the road were built before then.

“You can’t avoid hitting what you can’t see … and we’ve really helped that visibility behind the vehicle with the backup cameras, but now, with these giant trucks and SUVs that everybody is driving, there’s a blind zone in front of the vehicle that is just as dangerous,” Rollins said.

Rollins said this, coupled with more upright, “boxier” front-end designs of modern vehicles, has led to a drastic increase in the number of frontovers and pedestrian deaths.

Children 6 and younger account for 93% of frontovers.

“Even if you’re doing everything perfectly, a child could still be in the path of your vehicle and you wouldn’t know it. So, we always recommend people do a 360 walk around their vehicle, scan the area, look and listen for kids. If there’s unattended children, it’s not a great idea to move the car,” Rollins said.

She advised parents to constantly supervise their children and hold onto them in parking lots. Because many accidents happen when children sneak out of the home, often to say hello or goodbye to a family member, Rollins also recommended installing a door chime to alert adults when a child leaves unnoticed.

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