Vehicle Blind Spots Pose Danger

May 30, 2007 — -- Sixteen-month-old Alec Nelson was killed in 2004 in a tragic accident in his family's driveway. His grandfather was backing the car out, when he failed to see the toddler behind the vehicle.

"I walked outside the house and I saw the car was moved -- it was just this awful feeling and something very wrong had happened. So I walked over and picked him up," said Alec's mother, Adriann Raschdorf-Nelson.

Alec nearly was invisible behind the vehicle, hidden by the car's blind spot.

"My dad was cautious and an excellent driver. For the rest of his life, he said, 'Why didn't I look under the car?' And we've tried to tell him, 'Pop, you cannot see. It's nobody's fault. It's this error in car manufacturers.'"

The Nelsons' story isn't uncommon. Each year more than 100 children are killed in back-over accidents, and an additional 2,400 are seriously injured.

"When our vehicles got larger and wider and higher and longer, that blind zone has grown and grown and grown," said Janette Fennell, president of Kids and Cars, a nonprofit organization focused on limiting child motor-vehicle deaths.

Blind zones can range from 15 feet for small cars and up to 70 feet for trucks. That is longer than some driveways.

While the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers says it is pursing new safety features aggressively, it warns, "Under no circumstances should a child ever … be left unattended inside, or around an automobile."

There are ways to protect yourself and your child. First, know your vehicle's blind spot. Also, walk around the back of the vehicle before you drive.

And finally, beware of the "bye bye syndrome." That's when kids often run out to say goodbye to a parent about to drive away.

"It's important that you don't say, 'Well, I watch, so it's not going to happen to me.' It can happen to anybody," Raschdorf-Nelson said.