Safety advocates warn of ‘frontover’ crash dangers following death of 1-year-old | #childsafety | #kids | #chldern | #parents | #schoolsafey

JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – Metro Nashville police say 1-year-old Madisson Garcia died Sunday after being hit by a car outside her south Nashville home.

Investigators said the child’s aunt had just arrived for a visit and believed all the children playing outside had gone indoors. As she pulled her car forward, she struck the toddler, who was still near the vehicle.

Police cited the aunt for driving without a license. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is investigating.

What is a frontover crash

Safety advocates say incidents like this, known as frontovers, are common because small children can be hidden in a driver’s forward blind spot.

“So, this is happening 60 times every week in our country. A frontover is basically when a parked vehicle begins to move forward, the driver is unable to see that child in a large blind zone in front of the vehicle, and runs them over,” said Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety.

“60 children are run over in what we call ‘frontover’ accidents off of public roadways,” Rollins said.

According to child safety experts, blind spots in front of vehicles can extend several feet, making it impossible to see a toddler from the driver’s seat.

Experts urge drivers to walk a complete circle around their car before moving it and to physically hold onto small children whenever a vehicle is in motion.

“From inside a large truck or SUV, that forward blind zone can stretch up to ten to fifteen feet, meaning a toddler standing right here in front of the hood is virtually invisible to the driver,” said Amaurie Pitts.

Push for new safety standards

“We want parents to be mindful of the blind zone, just being aware that this is a risk that could happen to anybody. About 80% of new cars sold are large trucks and SUVs, so the bigger the vehicle is, the bigger the blind zone. We’ve got a serious problem with blind zones, people not being able to see around their vehicle, and safety technology not keeping up. So, Kids and Car Safety is really pushing for a safety standard to make sure that young pedestrians, whether they’re in front, beside, or in the back of a car, can be seen and detected by the driver,” Rollins said.