Blind Spots and Back Overs: Take Special Precautions in Your Vehicle

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Many children die each year as a result of accidents caused by blind spot–accidents more commonly referred to as “back over” accidents. The website www.kidsandcars.org discusses their mission toward making the term “blind spots” be known as “blind zone.” The area that constitutes a blind spot has previously referred to the spot beside a vehicle that prevents the driver from seeing an oncoming car when changing lanes. Blind zone more appropriately defines the space as the several feet of distance where a driver does not see what is behind the car.

Back over accidents are serious and deadly. Because children are so little and they like to play in driveways, back over accidents occur time and time again much to the horror and suffering of all involved. Statistics on back over accidents show that nearly 40 of this type of accident occur every week, and at least two of that number result in fatalities. Most are children under the age of 5, backed over by a relative who is often a parent. Sadly, the impact when hitting the child is soft enough that someone feels only a slight bump on a side of the car before realizing that bump was actually a child running behind the car to say goodbye one last time, or simply standing or playing in the driveway. What can you do to prevent a back over accident from happening to your child? Here are some rules:

  • Always, always make sure you can see your the child in front of you before backing out of any space or driveway.
  • Install a camera feature in your car if you have children under the age of 10, or purchase a car with a camera or proximity signal.
  • Become a part of a government advocacy group that promotes legislation for safer cars and terminology when it comes to back over accidents.
  • Check your mirrors again and again; go around your car; look for your child—before you back out of the space.
  • Instruct your children to never run after a car if they are visiting the home of a friend.

Parents and others who run over children in back over accidents have lifelong nightmares that will haunt them forever. How could they do this to a child? Who is at fault? How could it happen? If your child has been injured or died as a result of a back over accident, many factors will enter your mind as you deal with the loss and tragedy of this event. When you have the support of an attorney who is renowned for handling personal injury cases, you can focus on your family and your health as your case is settled in the best hands.

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Finz & Finz, P.C. is a New York and Long Island personal injury law firm based out of Mineola, NY. It was founded in 1984 and is highly rated, with many honors and awards of excellence.