About

Danger can come from any direction. Children can be injured or killed in "backover" or "frontover" accidents. Many of these preventable injuries and deaths occur in driveways or parking lots when drivers do not see children near their vehicles. Tragically, these drivers are often loving family members or friends.

Parents, caregivers, drivers, and kids can all do their part to make sure that children do not share the same space as vehicles. A five-second walk around the car before you get in could save a child's life.

Tips

• Walk all the way around your parked vehicle to check for children, pets or toys before getting in the car and starting the engine.
• Use a Spot the Tot window sticker as a reminder to walk around the vehicle before every trip.
• Make sure young children are always accompanied by an adult when getting in and out of a vehicle.
• Identify and use safe play areas for children away from parked or moving vehicles.
• Designate a safe spot for children to go when nearby vehicles are about to move.
• Firmly hold the hand of each child when walking near moving vehicles and when in driveways, in parking lots or on sidewalks.

Facts

In the United States, from 2001-2003 approximately 2,500 children per year ages 1-14 reported to emergency rooms and an average of 229 children per year died after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway or parking area.   Close to half of children injured in these incidents were ages 1-4.

Spot the Tot is a Service Mark of Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

Child Passenger Safety Web site

More about Child Passenger Safety

Suggested Links

• Spot The Tot and Safe Kids Utah: Violence and Injury Prevention Program at the Utah Department of Health

• Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles

• Kids In Cars - Information about keeping kids safe in or around cars

• GM Safety Information