Driveway safety is one of the most demanding responsibilities for parents or guardians of young children.

Driveway safety is comprised of two categories. Preventing your child from being run over as a car is backing out of the driveway. The other is preventing your child from running out into the street while playing in the yard. We will now cover each topic individually.

Prevent Your Child from Being Run Over in the Driveway

One third of children under six killed in motor vehicle accidents were killed ‘off road’ in yards, parking lots and driveways. Children aged one and two are most likely to be killed or injured in home driveways. The vehicle is usually moving slowly and is often being driven by a parent, relative or friend.

A slow moving vehicle backing down a driveway can trap a child, causing fatal crush injuries. Children who survive are often left with severe long-term injuries.

Small children, particularly toddlers, can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are directly behind it. Most drivers are aware of their car’s ‘blind spots’ however the rear vision of a number of popular cars has been tested and results show that there is in fact a large ‘blind space’ behind most cars, particularly when driving in reverse.

Even if your car has parking sensors or a video camera fitted, you may not notice a small child until it is too late to stop.

The highest proportion of driveway fatal accidents occur on weekdays in the early morning between 8:00am and 10:00am and in the late afternoon between 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Most accidents occur in fine weather and bright conditions.

• Always supervise your children and do not leave them alone to play especially when they are near parked or moving vehicles

• Hold their hands or hold them close to keep them safe

• If you are the only adult at home and need to move a vehicle, even only a small distance, place your child securely in the vehicle with you while you move it

• Make access to the driveway from the house difficult for young children, possibly by using security doors, fencing or gates

• Drivers should walk around their vehicle before leaving an area where children may have been playing

• Don’t let your unsupervised children use the driveway as a play area.

• Create safe play areas for your children

Protecting Your Children from Running into the Street With a KIDCATCHER

Even when closely watching your children, it is often difficult to react fast enough when they dart out from your driveway into the street when chasing a ball or riding a toy.

In many cases, if a car is approaching, the parent or guardian cannot get to the child fast enough. Countless injuries occur each year involving children and motor vehicles because a driver is not paying attention or did not see the child. How many times have you heard about a distraught driver saying that he or she didn't see the child running into the street and couldn't stop on time?

Driveway safety statistics show that children who do survive being struck by a car sustain severe and permanent physical and brain injuries.

To rectify this driveway safety problem, many parents or guardians park their car in front of the driveway or erect a temporary barrier out of wood or whatever else may be laying around the garage. Many of these barriers are not sturdy enough and children on riding toys may even become injured when they collide with the barrier or car.

If you have young children and want a better driveway safety solution than your car, you can invest in a driveway net that extends across the bottom of your driveway.

This driveway safety option was designed specifically for use with children. It is a reasonably priced, easy-to use portable mesh barrier that acts as a deterrent to assist in preventing children and toys from leaving the driveway and entering the street.

The KIDCATCHER also acts as a visual barrier to deter automobiles from entering the driveway where kids are playing. This is especially important when cars are parked on the street next to the driveway and impair a driver’s vision.

Click here for more information on driveway safety and to see a picture of KIDCATCHER.