KEEP an eye on the driveway these winter school holidays as RACQ has urged drivers heading to work this week to be mindful of children playing around neighbourhood streets.
RACQ’s Lauren Ritchie said with more children about, drivers needed to be extra careful especially in driveways.
“We know there are about three children injured in low-speed incidents every week in Queensland, many of them in driveways and car parks,” Ms Ritchie said.
“Young children lack spatial awareness of the dangers of a moving vehicle, and if the driver is unable to see them on a driveway it is easy for a tragedy to occur.
“While kids should be taught from a very young age how to be safe around cars, the reality is they can be very unpredictable, so motorists need to be alert and prepared for the unexpected,” she aid.
Ms Ritchie said research showed driveway incidents most commonly occurred when young children were left playing unsupervised or ran into the path of the moving vehicle.
Poor reversing visibility added to the difficulty of the driver seeing the child before it was too late.
Ms Ritchie said the following steps could be taken to help reduce driveway risk:
Always supervise children, especially around areas near parked or moving vehicles;
Ensure young children play in a safe area separated from the driveway; always thoroughly check around the vehicle before getting in and moving it;
Put your child in the car with you if you’re home alone and need to move the car;
Install rear visibility cameras or sensors on your car to assist in overcoming blind spots and
Educate children about driveway safety.
