Watch for kids when starting to move vehicle

When a child is accidentally run over by a vehicle, the result is unspeakable pain for the family involved. It’s high on the list of parents’ worst nightmares.

When a child is accidentally run over by a car, the result is unspeakable pain for the family involved.

Unfortunately that nightmare became reality in Pennsylvania recently, as a 2- yearold Lebanon County boy was accidentally hit by a vehicle driven by his mother early this month.

Such tragedies are not nearly as rare as we would like them to be.

Thousands of children are hurt or killed each year because a drivermoving forward or backward very slowly didn’t see them in the area around a vehicle, according to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It’s a sobering reminder that drivers need to take precautions drivers before moving a vehicle, according to safety advocates.

These tragedies are called frontovers and backovers, according to KidsAndCars. org, an organization that tracks vehiclerelated accidents involving children.

After the fatal accident in Jackson Township, Lebanon County, the mother told state police that she believed her son had run to a nearby playground to play with other children, according to state police at Jonestown.

She moved her vehicle closer to the park to have a better view of the children, not realizing her sonwas near the vehicle, and then she accidentally ran over him, troopers said.

Children under age 5 are the most at risk for frontover and backovers, according to KidAndCars. org.

A big part of the problem is that few people understand the blind zone that exists in many popular models of vehicles that prevent drivers from seeing toddlers, said Janette Fennel, president and founder of KidsAndCars. org.

Toddlers lack the cognitive ability to understand danger and are quick to dart away fromcaregivers or sneak out of the home to say goodbye, she said.

The dangers of moving in reverse should be obvious, even with the advent of cameras that make it easier for motorists to see what’s behind them when backing up. But KidsAndCars has been tracking the emergence and rapid increase of frontover accidents — children who are struck while they are in front of a slow- moving vehicle.

Fennell said she believes a trend toward larger vehicles such as SUVs, which tend to have larger front blind zones, and away from family sedans has played the most dramatic role in the rising statistics.

The problem isn’t just one that takes place outside people’s homes. Parking lots are tremendously dangerous for pedestrians and motorists. All too often neither people walking nor drivers are paying enough attention to one another and can wind up in each other’s path.

We urge motorists to follow a few simple rules from KidsandCars. org when they start a trip, regardless of where they are:

• Parents should always carry toddlers or use strollers or shopping carts in parking lots or near vehicles.

• Children should always have hands- on contact and supervision any time a vehicle is being moved at the home or in parking lots.

• Drivers should be especially aware of any nearby children before they move a vehicle.

The organization also suggests installing forward- collision avoidance technology such as 360- degree camera system or automatic emergency braking on their vehicles. These systems can be installed on any vehicle.

We urge readers to be vigilant to prevent the possibility of an unspeakable tragedy.

A trendtoward larger vehicles suchasSUVs, which tend to have larger front blind zones, andaway from family sedans has played the most dramatic role in the rising statistics.