How to prevent Tampa driveway accidents.

Most people think of Tampa car accidents as taking place on I-275 or perhaps on Dale Mabry.  But there are a number of unfortunate accidents that occur while automobiles are simply backing out of driveways. Each year, thousands of children are hurt or killed by drivers accidentally backing over them.  The accidents usually take place either in residential neighborhoods or sometimes in parking lots. And because people nowadays are tending to drive larger, longer and higher vehicles, Tampa driveway auto accidents are becoming increasingly common.

But large vehicles and SUVs are not the only cause of non-traffic, motor vehicle related accidents. All vehicles have a blind zone, an area where the driver cannot see from the driver’s seat. However, the danger does increase with larger vehicles. According to a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization called Kids and Cars, the danger does increase with larger vehicles as suggested by the fact that more than 60% of back over accidents involve a large vehicle such as a truck, SUV, or van.  These accidents are caused by a driver who is typically a parent or relative in  approximately 70% of the cases.  The cases often involve often children between the ages of 12 and 23 months.

There are ways to prevent these driveway accidents. One is to make adults more aware of the problem so that they'll be more careful when backing up, especially when there are children around. In addition, it's important that parents recognize that back over accidents often result from a child following a parent out of the house and into the driveway. Often, the parent doesn't even know the child has followed them outside.

Help is on the way to parents in the form of legislation that will help make cars safer. A new law called the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Act that was signed by Pres. George Bush in February 2008 will be phased in over the next 4 to 8 years. This new law is aimed at such things as regulating power windows safety, preventing roll away cars, and improving driver visibility. The act was named after two-year-old Cameron who was run over by his father accidently.

The act requires new rules that require power windows and panels to automatically reverse direction if something is in the way such as a pet or a child's head.  In the European Union, 80% of all automobiles already have these auto reverse sensors. The Act also requires cameras be installed in the back of SUVs so that reversing drivers will have clear visibility of things that might be in the way such as pets and children.

In addition, the Act will create a database of injuries to children that result not from car accidents involving vehicles, but from other auto incidents. There will also be a child safety information program available to parents that hopefully will educate parents with regard to the hazards as well as the use of technology to prevent auto accident injuries.

Tampa car accident lawyers also have other recommendations on how to prevent these off-road Tampa car accidents. For example, you should consider walking around behind the vehicle before moving it.  It's important to know where your kids are and make sure that they move away from your vehicle to a place where you can see them before moving the vehicle. It's also important to consider teaching children that parked vehicles can move. Let them know that just because they can see a vehicle doesn't mean that the vehicle's driver can see them.  You might also  consider measuring the area of the blind zone behind your car.  That way you'll know how much area is invisible to you which may cause you to drive more carefully.If you own your own home, you might consider trimming the landscape to make sure that the driver backing out of a driveway can see the sidewalk, street and pedestrians clearly while backing out of the driveway. Pedestrians should also be able to see vehicles pulling out of the driveway. Of course, never leave children alone in or around automobiles, not even for a moment. And finally, it's important to make sure that your children are safe in and around cars, especially during busy times and schedule changes such as when there is a crisis or holidays because it does seem to be the time that most of these driveway accidents occur.

If you would like to discuss details of this article with one of our Tampa car accident attorneys or to call our law firm to talk about an incident that occurred involving a driveway accident, please feel free to contact us. We would be glad to be of help.