Victoria's Strategy to Reduce Child Vehicle Runover Incidents
In Victoria, an average of 41 children per year are injured or killed in low-speed vehicle runover incidents. Despite a decrease in hospitalisation rates over the past decade, fatalities have remained steady, including a significant increase to six deaths in 2023.
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Between 2012 and 2023, the most affected age group was children aged one to five years. Differing from prior data that indicated reversing vehicles as the primary issue, 72% of these incidents happened when the vehicle was moving forward. The majority of the incidents took place when the driver was arriving home, leaving home, or moving the vehicle. The incidents were almost evenly split between urban (52%) and rural areas (48%), with a range of vehicles such as sedans, utilities, SUVs, and vans involved.
Kidsafe Victoria, with assistance from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and other key stakeholders, has launched a Low Speed Vehicle Runover Prevention Strategy aimed at reducing the impact on children in the community.
Sarah Sexton, the incoming CEO of Kidsafe Victoria, said, “The strategy identifies the critical factors contributing to these tragedies, such as vehicle design, human factors, and property design. It also sets a framework for action through education, technology initiatives, and advocacy.”
According to Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir of the Victoria Police Road Policing Command, attending to incidents involving young children and assisting families who have lost a child in a low-speed runover is among the most challenging duties they undertake. He stressed that these incidents are preventable, which makes the loss even more poignant for the families involved and the community at large.
Kidsafe Victoria is seeking feedback to help refine and finalize the strategy. Sexton made a call to the industry, especially those in vehicle manufacturing who can develop retrofitted solutions for older vehicles, to assist in refining and finalizing the strategy to save lives.
The key areas of focus include promoting safer vehicle design and developing life-saving technologies that can be retrofitted to older vehicles, enhancing driveway layouts to reduce hazards, and raising awareness about supervision, blind spots, and safe driveway practices.
Sexton emphasized the human impact of these statistics, stating, “Behind every statistic is a family whose lives have been irreparably damaged by the trauma and lifelong grief for their child. These are more than just numbers – they are tragedies that ripple through families and communities.” She called for collective action to prevent these avoidable incidents, asserting that by working together, safer environments can be created to protect children.
