Top Tips for Driveway Safety:
- We know you’re often in a hurry, but before you get in the car, take a few seconds to walk all the way around your parked car to check for children.
- Designate a safe spot for children to wait when nearby vehicles are about to move and make sure the drivers can see them.
- Accompany little kids when they get in and out of a vehicle. Hold their hand while walking near moving vehicles, in driveways, parking lots or on sidewalks.
- Do not allow children to play in the driveway, parking lot or cul-de-sac unsupervised. If you have a fenced in area, always use that instead of the driveway for play
- Create habits to ensure children are directly supervised every time someone is arriving or leaving the home. Most driveway accidents occur because a toddler leaves the home unnoticed and gets into the blindzone of a vehicle arriving or leaving. The scenario is so common that it has a name, “bye-bye syndrome.” Many times a child wants to greet someone or say “bye-bye.”
Limit Play in the Driveway:
- Work with your kids to pick up toys, bikes, chalk or any type of equipment around the driveway so that these items don’t entice kids to play.
- Identify and use safe play areas for children, away from parked or moving vehicles. Teach kids to play in these areas instead of in, around or behind a car. Consider making your driveway a toy-free zone.
- If children are going to be playing in the driveway, block it off with trashcans or cones to prevent cars from coming in.
Lend a Hand to Younger Kids :
- Accompany little kids when they get in and out of a vehicle. Hold their hands while walking near moving vehicles or in driveways and parking lots or on sidewalks.
- Never allow toddlers to walk in parking lots – carry them or use a stroller or shopping cart. Hold hands with older children and teach them to watch for backing cars because drivers can’t see them.
