Children 'Disappear' In Road Safety Demonstration

On Friday 21 May 2010, children as young as 18 months 'disappeared' in a dramatic demonstration of vehicle blind spots.

In Queensland alone, 18 children have been run over and killed, and a further 196 have been seriously injured, in low speed vehicle incidents in the past five years.

About 20 Brisbane children ‘disappeared’ on Friday 21 May in a demonstration at Suncorp Stadium to highlight awareness of the behind-the-vehicle blind spot that could result in a child being accidentally being run over.

Staged by Fatality Free Friday and Kidsafe Queensland, four popular family vehicles – a Land Rover, a Holden Barina, a Toyota Tarago and a Holden Commodore - were lined up with a measure of their blind spot distance.

Surprisingly, the Holden Commodore had the least rearward visibility, with children becoming ‘invisible’ up to 15 metres behind the vehicle, while the Land Rover 4WD, with its high seating position and large rear window, had the best visibility of less than 4 metres.

“Parents want the very best for their children and would never dream of hurting them, but in the majority of cases, sadly it is mum or dad who are in the driver’s seat at the time,” said Susan Teerds, executive officer for Kidsafe Queensland.

“All of the fatalities and serious injuries were reversing accidents which underscores the importance of parents knowing where their children are at all times.”

While 4WD vehicles were involved in 10 of the 18 fatalities, ordinary passenger cars account for the majority of accidents including those which cause major injuries. Eighty-four percent of vehicles involved in low speed run over incidents were passenger vehicles.

“There are three very important things to note,” said Russell White, founder of Fatality Free Friday and road safety expert.

“The first is ensuring that all drivers set up their mirrors correctly to give them the widest possible view from the wing mirrors and the rear view mirror, not only will it help in providing a panorama that will possibly pick up a child who is too close to a car, but it will also help avoid side swipe collisions and accidentally cutting off another vehicle. As you’re getting into the car, take the extra time to walk around the vehicle to ensure there are no potential dangers.

“Secondly, always know where your children are. While mirrors are important, they cannot tell you if a child is right below the window line.

“Thirdly, always remember that children, especially very young children, behave unpredictably and have no awareness of road dangers. It’s up to the driver to be alert around driveways, car parks and schools. Don’t drive on auto pilot.”