Toddler's driveway death raises need for awareness

Three factors were identified in contributing to the deaths. Photo / Thinkstock

A toddler's death in Rotorua highlights the alarming rate of children killed in our country's driveways, a coroner has found.

Tyrese Kaydyn Hill was 16 months old when he was run over by a reversing vehicle on Turner Dr on March 13 last year. Coroner Dr Wallace Bain today released his findings into the death today.

Tyrese slipped out a rear ranch slider unnoticed and and went on to the driveway, where his grand aunt was reversing onto the road. She did not see Tyrese and ran him over. He died at the scene.

The Coroner's report said there had been 29 deaths in New Zealand driveways since July 2000. The typical child in a driveway incident is a toddler under two years of age.

"Tragically it's something we have got to try and address a bit better," Dr Bain said.

Three factors were identified in contributing to the deaths. They were human factors and a need for there to be a change in behaviour and increased perception of risks, the need to amend vehicle design to ensure increased rear vision and property design and a need for better driveway design.

The Coroner supported the police view the driver of the vehicle was not to be criticised in respect of this "tragic death".

"What is more important here is to learn lessons from this death and hope that with further publicity and education it will help prevent a death in similar circumstances in the future," he said.