Four killed a year

Even the most vigilant parent could run over a child in their driveway, according to researchers who examined 93 cases of kids being injured or killed that way.

According to Safekids New Zealand, four children a year are killed and a child is admitted to hospital every two weeks with serious injuries after being run over in driveways.

Research published last year in the New Zealand Medical Journal found that even with the best parental supervision and driver care, driveway accidents can still occur.

The researchers looked at 93 cases of children in the Auckland area who were hit in driveways from November 2001 to December 2005, including nine fatalities.

The study found the victims' median age was two, 43 per cent were Pacific Islanders and 25 per cent Maori.

Eighty per cent of the accidents occurred in the child's home, most accidents happened between 4pm and 7pm, 43 per cent occurred in summer and, in 64 per cent of cases, the driveway was the child's usual play area.

One of the researchers, Dr Clinton Newbury, said even vigilent parents were likely to have a small lapse in concentration eventually: "There's always going to be a break down in vigilance, so you need to have the environment as safe as possible right from the start."

Safekids director Ann Weaver said the organisation which planned to launch a campaign next year to improve driveway safety wanted to work with councils to improve the consent process for driveways and garages.

Weaver's key message was: "Make sure your child is beside you when somebody drives off your property". Many people didn't understand that even by checking in the rear vision or side mirrors they could still hit a child, she said.