Back-to-School Safety: Preventing Tragic Backup Accidents in Our Neighborhoods and School Zones
Jenna Kakley
Accident Lawyers
Personal Injury
As students across Southwest Florida head back to school, families are getting used to the morning rush again. Unfortunately, this busy season also brings an increased risk of a devastating but often overlooked danger — backup accidents involving young children. In recent years, our community has faced heartbreaking incidents where a parent, while backing up a large vehicle, accidentally ran over their own child in the driveway or school parking lot.The most tragic part is that These accidents are so easily preventable.
How a Simple Mistake Can Become a Community Tragedy
Backup accidents happen more often than many realize. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), around 183 deaths and 7,000 injuries occur each year in the U.S. due to backover incidents. Most victims are young children between one and five years old — small enough to disappear completely from a driver’s rear view and side mirrors.
Large SUVs, trucks, and vans have significant blind spots, meaning even a careful driver may not see a child directly behind or beside the rear wheels. Children may unexpectedly leave the vehicle, wander behind it, or crouch down to retrieve a dropped item, all without the driver noticing.
Why the School Drop-Off and Home Driveway Are High-Risk Zones
Busy school mornings are prime conditions for mistakes. Parents are focused on schedules, traffic, and making sure everyone has what they need for the day. In both home driveways and school parking lots, children are often moving unpredictably.
At school drop-off, children may exit the vehicle and pass behind it to reach the sidewalk, or a child who isn’t going to school that day might step outside at home to say goodbye to a sibling. Without a clear headcount and confirmed visual contact, tragedy can happen in seconds.
Simple but Life-Saving Safety Steps Every Driver Can Take
1. Make Eye Contact Before Moving the Vehicle
Confirm visually that all children are safely away from the vehicle before shifting into gear.
2. Do a Full Walk-Around
A quick 10-second walk around the car can prevent a lifetime of regret.
3. Teach Children “No Zone” Rules
Explain to kids that they should never walk or play behind a vehicle, and that if they drop something, they must tell an adult instead of retrieving it themselves.
4. Use Backup Cameras — But Don’t Rely on Them Alone
Technology helps, but it doesn’t replace physical checks.
5. Advocate for Safer School Procedures
Encourage your school to maintain clear drop-off lanes, have staff on hand to guide children, and establish “no walking behind vehicles” rules.
How We Can Protect Our Children Together
Preventing backup accidents takes both personal vigilance and community effort. Parents, teachers, and neighbors all play a role in ensuring no child becomes a statistic.
At All Injuries Law Firm, we’ve seen the life-changing impact these accidents can have on families. We urge every driver — especially during the back-to-school season — to take that extra moment to ensure all children are accounted for and safe.
"As both a lawyer and a member of this community, I can’t stress enough how small actions — a pause, a walk-around, a quick headcount — can prevent unthinkable loss. Our children’s safety is worth every extra second."
— Attorney Jenna Kakley
Download This Free Backup Accident Safety Checklist Reminder For Use Everywhere Kids Are Dropped Off and Picked Up
SUV And Vehicle Blind Spots For Parents To Check At Student Drop-off
