Heartbreaking Reminder for Lubbock Parents: Driveway Tragedies Are Preventable

A tragic accident in Abilene this week is serving as a sobering reminder for parents everywhere — including right here in Lubbock — about the dangers that can happen right in our own driveways.

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On Monday, October 6th, a 2-year-old boy was accidentally struck and killed by a family member moving a vehicle in the driveway. Sadly, incidents like this aren’t rare. Safety experts call these types of tragedies frontovers or backovers — and most of them are completely preventable.

Understanding Frontovers and Backovers

According to Kids and Car Safety, thousands of children are hurt or killed every year when a slow-moving driver can’t see them in the blind zone directly in front of or behind a vehicle.

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Children under 5 are most at risk because they’re too small to be seen by a driver and often don’t understand danger. Larger vehicles like trucks and SUVs, which are extremely popular here in West Texas, have even bigger blind spots — in some cases up to 11 feet longer than a sedan.

That means a toddler could be standing right in front of your vehicle, and you wouldn’t see them, even with your mirrors adjusted correctly.

Simple Ways to Keep Kids Safe

For Lubbock parents and grandparents, here are some easy — and potentially life-saving — steps to take:

• Supervise children 100% of the time when vehicles are being moved, even in your own driveway.

• Carry toddlers or use strollers in parking lots or near vehicles.

• Install childproof door knob covers and stick-on door alarms so you’ll know if a little one is trying to sneak outside.

• Check around and under your vehicle before starting it.

• Consider installing a 360-degree camera system or backup camera if your vehicle doesn’t already have one.

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As 'Kids and Car Safety' points out, technology already exists to prevent these tragedies — it just needs to be standard in every vehicle.

A Wake-Up Call for Families

In most of these heartbreaking cases, the driver is a parent, grandparent, or close family member. For families in Lubbock, this serves as a powerful reminder: the most dangerous place for a small child might not be the street — it could be your own driveway.