Every year, children are injured and killed because drivers cannot see them while backing up. The situation has intensified because of the growth in popularity of longer and taller vehicles. These vehicles, including SUVs, pickups and vans, have significantly larger blind spots than passenger cars. Many drivers do not realize how large some blind spots really are, and this lack of knowledge can be deadly. More than 100 children were killed in 2005 after being backed over. Thirty-three others died after being hit by the front of a large vehicle (www.kidsandcars.org). Tragically, in the majority of these incidents a parent or close relative was the one behind the wheel.


Hospitals do not have a specific way to label this type of injury. The actual number of injuries classified as backovers is presumably underreported in trauma and emergency room data. Sadly, this lack of data has hindered the prevention efforts necessary to combat this serious problem. In this study, the San Francisco Injury Center at San Francisco General Hospital is collaborating with six other trauma centers across central and southern California to collect more detailed data. By recording backover events in an accurate manner, we will have a better representation of the actual frequency of these injuries so that we can most efficiently and effectively target our prevention efforts.

The specific aims of the project are:

• To determine how to improve data collection for the prevalence of and circumstances around backover injuries.
  
• To identify what the risk factors are for backover injuries and investigate how they can be modified.
  
• To increase awareness of the issue by distributing information to car dealers, health providers and parents and by promoting prevention approaches, such as the installation and use of safety devices.
  
  

Collaborating Trauma Centers:

• Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland
  
• Children's Hospital San Diego
  
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
  
• Stanford Hospital and Clinics
  
• UC Davis Medical Center
  
• San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF
  
• University Medical Center, Fresno
  
  

This project is funded by California Kids' Plates, an injury prevention partnership with the State and Local Injury Control Section of the California Department of Health Services, the Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice, the Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing and Office of Child Abuse Prevention, Prevent Child Abuse - California, Hopcraft Communications and the purchasers and promoters of Kids' Plates motor vehicle license plates.

California Kids' Plates are special personalized license plates that let you create a unique message by using any one of four symbols: a , , or . The sale of these plates helps keep California kids safe and healthy because the proceeds fund childhood injury prevention programs throughout the state

Purchasing a plate is easy. Simply visit the California Kids' Plates website: