It is not unusual in Mississippi suburban communities to see a parent crossing the street as they hold their child’s hand. This is not only predictable, but also an effective way to guard one’s child from an inattentive, drug or alcohol impaired or otherwise indifferent driver. Ironically, parents often do not show the same level of attention and care when their children are playing near the driveway of their residence. While most people believe that the majority of children are hit by motor vehicles while crossing the street, a substantial number of children are injured every year by people backing out of a driveway. There more than 220 fatal back over accidents per year, and there are another 14,000 people being injured by vehicles backing out of a driveway. Our Mississippi driveway accident attorneys at Barrett Law understand the devastating emotional toll of having a child injured in a driveway back over accident as well as the enormous financial cost that may accompany serious catastrophic injuries.
Tragically, small children are the most common victims of driveway back over accidents. Because is not possible to see small objects immediately behind a vehicle, it is essential when backing out of the driveway that a driver physically walk behind the vehicle and check to make sure there are no children, pets or other obstacles present. This simple practice could prevent most, if not all, back over accidents in Mississippi driveways. However, motorists are typically in a hurry to get to work, take their children to school or get home to deal with daily chores. This urgency to get to one’s destination often means that drivers do not check behind their vehicle to determine if it is safe to back out of a driveway or parking lot. The problem associated with back up accidents has increased with the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks with lift kits. The higher a vehicle sits off the ground the greater the area of the blind spot behind the vehicle.
New innovations in vehicle safety technology offer promise in reducing the number of these serious and fatal Mississippi backing up car crashes. Some collision warning systems sound an alarm to alert a driver that it is not safe to back up. Other versions of this warning system provide an alarm to those who are potentially behind the vehicle designed to alert a pedestrian that the vehicle is about to move in reverse. While our Mississippi car accident lawyers commend these safety improvements, they are still a rare option on many vehicles. While eventually these may become standard features, it is essential that for now anyone backing out of the driveway be alert regarding the location of their children or other children in the neighborhood and check behind their vehicle before backing out of the driveway. At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent personal injury victims throughout Mississippi. Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.