We all know that small children and their pets don’t always know to look out for traffic before they rush off to their next destinations. And this Halloween in Pasadena, Texas, kids will be out trick or treating. Their minds will be on candy, costumes, and friends. And unfortunately, it’s difficult to notice a tiny black-clad vampire or zombie as you back out of your driveway at night.
Pasadena, TX injury lawyers know the sad accident statistics all too well. Annually, around 5,000 children receive serious injuries because drivers couldn’t see them in their driveways. Another 200 children under the age of 14 die from being run over by vehicles in driveways.
Often it’s a close relative or friend who suffers the anguish of accidentally running over the child that they couldn’t see in the driveway. A Houston headline just told of a mother who accidentally ran over her daughter in the driveway when the child suddenly ran behind the car. The tragic accident fatally injured the daughter, leaving the mother bereaved.
Many of these devastating driveway accidents could be prevented. If you have a rear view backup camera on your vehicle, you have an extra edge in preventing such tragedy. If you don’t have the advantage of a backup camera to help you, you can just take a few extra moments of care to help save yourself needless heartache and grief from a driveway accident.
SafeKids.org suggests taking a few moments to walk completely around your vehicle to check for children, pets, and toys they might have left as surprise obstacles in your driveway. Always accompany your small children as they enter and exit vehicles, and make sure that they are securely inside a vehicle or out of range of a vehicle about to move. If children are playing nearby as you need to exit your driveway, see if older children could shepherd the younger ones safely out of the driveway.
This Pasadena, TX injury lawyer knows that by working together and taking a little extra care, we can make this Halloween in Pasadena a safe one.