Despite recent Broward case, number of kids killed by backing up cars is declining
.jpg "Back over accidents occur when a person backs into a person with a car. Data from Kids Car Safety, a nonprofit organization aimed to raise awareness of vehicle, states the majority of those deaths are children.")
Karena Caputo had just gotten back from a run on a Tuesday in May 2007 and was wheeling the week’s trash up the road on her 5-acre property in San Diego, California, when she heard her husband screaming for her.
Her husband was late for work and backed their Hummer H3 out of the driveway, not realizing their 19-month-old son, Dillon, had wandered away from his toys in the garage and into the vehicle’s path.
He hit the boy. Dillon died shortly after being airlifted to a local hospital.
“It’s not how life’s supposed to happen,” Caputo said, who now lives in Tampa. “You’re not supposed to lose a child first.”
Almost two decades later, a Broward family is experiencing the same shock, following an accident Monday when 1-year-old Wilson Matias Jr. died after his mother hit him while backing out of their driveway.
READ MORE: Mom kills her 1-year-old son with SUV, BSO says. She might not face charges
Both Matias Jr. and Dillon’s deaths highlight a rare, but tragic, occurrence: people backing over children in cars.
Independent data gathered by Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit aimed to inform the public on vehicle risks, shows last week’s incident as the first child death from a back over incident in Miami-Dade or Broward County since 2016. Director Amber Rollins said despite their rarity, the accidents are an under-discussed topic.
“This is something that nobody thinks is going to happen to them,” she said.
Of the 73 deaths the nonprofit has documented since 2008 — most of its information stemming from news coverage — 35% of deaths were caused by a mother or father hitting or backing over their child. Just over 50% involved another family member.
Kids and Car Safety found only two incidents where police brought charges against the person who hit the child. Data states several charges are pending dependent on an investigation.
“It’s almost always a tragic accident,” Rollins said.
The accidents have, however, decreased over the years with the standard implementation of rearview cameras.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a 2014 rule stating all new vehicles must have rear visibility technology, or backup cameras, by May 2018 in order to reduce injuries caused by back over accidents.
Many cars today also have ultrasonic sensors installed on the rear bumper meant to track objects, including pedestrians, while backing up.
Rollins said back over accidents can happen regardless of safety features, though, as some older vehicles don’t have that technology.
The organization urges the public to use the following advice:
- Install a rearview camera if your vehicle doesn’t already have one.
- Do not allow children to play in driveways or parking lots unsupervised.
- Install door alarms on any doors leading outside.
- Roll down the driver’s window while backing out to hear if someone is warning you to stop.
- Walk completely around your vehicle prior to moving it. If you see or hear a child, ensure they are supervised by an adult.
