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MILWAUKEE (8/21/2007) - Spot the Tot reminds drivers to be aware of children outside of cars.
Each year in the United States, thousands of children are injured when hit by cars – usually when backing up – in driveways or parking lots. Hundreds of these preventable injuries are fatal. Often, these drivers are loving family members or friends who failed to see the children near their vehicles, and the results are devastating. Spot the Tot was developed to teach parents, drivers, caregivers and children safety habits to increase awareness about small children being near vehicles.
"Ten percent of deaths to children involving motor vehicles are not reported as having happened on public roads because they were in driveways or other off-street locations like parking lots and sidewalks," said Libbe Slavin, Safe Kids Wisconsin coordinator. "About 50 percent of these accidents occur in children ages 1 to 4."
Safe Kids Worldwide is rolling out Spot the Tot because of the urgency in raising awareness about this issue.
Safe Kids Wisconsin offers four easy tips to keep children safer around motor vehicles:
-Caregivers are urged to firmly hold the hand of children when near vehicles.
-Drivers are cautioned to look for children, even if they do not have children of their own. That means adults in parking lots and driveways where children could be playing nearby should do an additional safety check.
-Drivers should walk all the way around a parked vehicle to check for kids, toys and pets before getting into the car and starting the motor.
-When possible, parents or caregivers should park in a way so they can pull straight forward instead of having to back out of a spot.
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Safe Kids Wisconsin safety experts encourage all drivers to use extreme caution when driving and especially when backing up. Parents also should urge their teen drivers to use caution in areas where they know small child live and play. "A five second walk around your vehicle could save a child's life," said Slavin.
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