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Driveway safety


Child safety in the driveway

Tragically one child, often a toddler, is run over in their driveway every week in Australia.

The vehicle is usually only moving slowly and is often being driven by a parent, family member or friend. We don't think of small children as being in danger in such a familiar and caring environment - but they are!

Small children are naturally inquisitive and want to see what's going on. They can also move surprisingly quickly.

In the time it takes for the driver to say goodbye and start the car, a child can move from a 'safe' position onto the driveway and into the path of the vehicle.

Small children can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are immediately behind it.

The rear vision of a number of popular cars has been tested and results show that there is not a 'blind spot' but in fact a large 'blind space' behind most cars.

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.

What can you do to prevent such a tragedy?

  • Always supervise your children whenever a vehicle is to be moved - hold their hands or hold them close to keep them safe.
  • If you're the only adult at home and need to move a vehicle, even only a small distance, place children securely in the vehicle with you while you move it.
  • A driveway is actually a small road - discourage children from using it as a play area.
  • Make access to the driveway from the house difficult for a child, possibly using security doors, fencing or gates.

The Facts

  • Young children often do the unexpected - they require constant supervision to keep them safe.
  • More than one third of pedestrians aged under six years killed in motor vehicle crashes were killed 'off road' in yards, carparks and driveways.
  • Children aged under three years are the most likely to be killed or injured in home driveways, often by a reversing vehicle driven by a parent, relative or friend.
  • Many of the young children who are not killed sustain severe and permanent injuries.
  • Even when drivers use mirrors while reversing, visibility behind the car is limited.This has been confirmed in an NRMA Insurance study.

Helpful Information

NRMA Insurance Reversing Visibility Index

In an NRMA Insurance study the reversing visibility for more than 80 of the most popular vehicles has been assessed.

The Index shows that there are large differences in the results for the vehicles tested and even the best vehicle has a blind area of around 3 metres that could easily hide a child. A complete listing of the ratings is available from the NRMA Insurance website - Reversing Visibility.  

Star rating* Vehicle 
5 and 4.5 stars Ford Territory with OEM Camera, Lexus RX350 with OEM Camera
4 and 3.5 stars Proton Savy with OEM Sensors, Honda Jazz
3 and 2.5 stars Holden Astra, VW Polo (hatch)
2 and 1.5 star Mitsubishi Outlander, Audi A3 with OEM Sensors
1 and 0 stars Subaru Liberty, Toyota RAV4

* The greater the number of stars, the safer the reversing rating.

Consumer tips

While there is no substitute for supervision, if you are considering purchasing a device to assist driver awareness at the rear of a car, some consumer tips are available on the MAA website.

Download the 'Child safety in your driveway' brochure. (PDF 332KB/4 pages)

This brochure is also available in Vietnamese (PDF 324KB/2 pages)  

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