Increase in toddler deaths in driveways

[mantra]

There have been 3 toddlers run over and killed this week and these tragedies seem to be on the increase. Unfortunately many of these children have been killed with 4WD's driven by a parent.

Is it our busy lifestyle which distracts parents or perhaps even the clumsy and obstructive 4WD? To any parent it seems inconceivable that a young child could be left unsupervised around a moving car.

Bureaucrats are now talking about an advertising campaign to warn parents to ensure that toddlers are restrained and supervised at all times outside the home. Every time you hear of another death - you think it couldn't possibly happen again, but it does - over and over again.

Perhaps parents should be charged with manslaughter? They appear to be ignoring the warnings.

About a dozen children are killed in Australian driveways each year and hundreds more are severely injured, child safety experts say.

The death and injury rates have remained constant over the past 10 years, concerning advocates who are calling for better driver education and compulsory safety devices such as rear-vision cameras.

Recommendations from bodies such as the Motor Accidents Authority, Kidsafe NSW and the Pedestrian Council of Australia have gone largely ignored.

Children under six are the most vulnerable because being small makes them difficult to see.

Former Wallaby Phil Kearns ran over his then 19-month-old daughter, Andie, in the driveway of his Mosman home in 2005. She recovered from her severe injuries and was released from hospital after three weeks.

Many others are not so fortunate, with two children losing their lives in separate driveway accidents in NSW in recent months. A one-year-old Riverstone boy died from severe head injuries after being run over by a reversing car in the driveway of a neighbour's home in June. Only six weeks later, a 23-month-old Bourke girl was crushed to death by a reversing car in a driveway.

Kerry Armstrong, who is researching driveway safety at the Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, said such deaths and injuries were preventable.

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/toddler ... -gm52.html

[sprintcyclist]

people seem to be in a "I have to rush everythiing inmy life to show how busy I am" mentality.

So they accelerate too quickly from a stop and run over anyone in their way.
Often people in a shopping area carpark lurch out of a carpark at too fast a rate.
All for no reason.

So if they run over their own kid ............. it comes as no surprise to me.

[punk]

its a pity jm didnt run himself over on his gay trip, maybe leftard will do it with his janitors trolley when hes off to clean the kids shithouses

[boxy]

So if they run over their own kid ............. it comes as no surprise to me.

Natural selection at work.

[Neferti]

There have been 3 toddlers run over and killedk this wee and these tragedies seem to be on the increase. Unfortunately many of these children have been killed with 4WD's driven by a parent.

Where? Sydney? Australia? The US of A? UK? Europe? Central Coast?

Banning 4WDs (or the USA version - SUVs) won't solve the problem.

Parents who run over their toddlers will spend time reflecting upon it.

Getting The Government involved is a stupid idea. People are responsible for their own actions.

Sad but true.

[Robina]

4WDs are driven, in the main, by massive shits.

The rear window is way too high to allow proper vision to the rear.