If you grew up like a lot of kids, you can probably think back to your childhood and remember playing in your parents’ driveway. You can probably remember roller-skating or riding a skateboard or riding a bicycle or playing in the water in the driveway, or perhaps you can remember doing all of those things.
We’re willing to bet that you can close your eyes and practically feel the summer heat on your face. You can probably remember the black ants crawling on the driveway, the ladybugs and dandelions in the front yard, and you can probably hear the distant sounds of lawnmowers and sprinklers.
While driveways may bring back fond summer memories of a time in your life that was a lot slower and less complicated than it is now, the reality is that driveways are actually not safe places for children to be, which we explain below.
Kids Getting Hit By Cars in Driveways
“Children like to play in driveways: those enticing empty spaces right next to the house. But doctors warn that even though they are not in the street, kids playing in a driveway can still be hit by a car or other vehicle.
“In fact, when researchers of a new study reviewed data on children injured in driveways, they found 6% died and an about another 6% had long-term medical problems requiring months in the hospital,” Elaine Zablocki wrote for WebMD.
Henri R. Ford, MD told WebMD that many injuries occur around driveways and he said it’s an “under-recognized problem” because many of these injuries are never reported to the police. Ford said that parents need to be educated about ensuring driveways are not used as play areas, and to make sure their vehicles are always locked, even if parents step away for a brief moment.
Joe Larkin is a spokesman for the National Safety Council and he said that when children ride bicycles on sidewalks, they’ll ride right past driveways without looking for vehicles. “The dangers are obvious, while the solutions are more difficult to determine,” Larkin told WebMD.
Has your child been injured in a driveway? To explore your legal options, we urge you to contact the Law Offices of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC.