ZestyHabit

Learn how to prevent backover crashes, hot-car emergencies, rollaway accidents, parking-lot injuries, and other dangers around parked vehicles.

Most people associate car safety with seat belts, speeding, distracted driving, and highway crashes. Yet serious injuries can also happen when a vehicle is parked, moving slowly through a parking lot, or backing out of a driveway.

A car does not have to be traveling fast to cause devastating harm. Its size and weight are enough to seriously injure a pedestrian, particularly a young child. Parked vehicles also create blind spots, trap heat, release dangerous exhaust gases, and contain moving parts that can crush fingers or limbs.

Children face especially high risks because they are small, difficult for drivers to see, and may not understand that a parked vehicle can suddenly begin moving. However, adults, older people, cyclists, pets, mechanics, and roadside drivers can also be injured around cars.

The following car safety tips address nine common accidents that happen in driveways, garages, parking lots, and other areas surrounding vehicles.

1. Backover Accidents in Driveways and Parking Spaces

A backover accident occurs when a reversing vehicle strikes someone behind it. These incidents often happen in driveways and parking lots, where drivers may assume the area is clear after checking only a mirror or backup camera.

Small children are particularly difficult to see from the driver’s seat. A child may follow a parent toward the car, run back to retrieve a toy, or approach after the driver has already completed a visual check. Shopping carts, pillars, landscaping, and nearby vehicles can create additional blind spots.

Before reversing:

• Walk completely around the vehicle.
• Confirm where every child and pet is located.
• Ask children to stand with a supervising adult in a visible location.
• Remove bicycles, scooters, toys, and other objects from the driveway.
• Check mirrors and the backup camera.
• Reverse slowly while continuing to look in every direction.
• Stop immediately if you lose sight of a child.

Backup cameras and parking sensors are helpful, but they are not perfect. A camera can be dirty, its image may be distorted, and a moving child can enter the vehicle’s path after the driver looks at the screen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends checking around the vehicle physically and not relying solely on detection technology. NHTSA child vehicle-safety guidance

2. Pedestrian Accidents Between Parked Cars

Parking lots combine moving vehicles and pedestrians in a confined space. Drivers search for spaces, read signs, watch for reversing cars, and sometimes look at their phones. Pedestrians may step into a driving lane from between two vehicles, giving an approaching driver very little time to react.

Drivers should treat parking lots as active pedestrian areas rather than ordinary roads with lower speed limits. Move slowly enough to stop suddenly, scan underneath and between vehicles for feet or movement, and avoid cutting across empty parking spaces.

Pedestrians should also remain alert. Do not assume a driver has seen you simply because you can see the vehicle. Watch the wheels, reverse lights, exhaust, and driver’s position for signs that the vehicle may move. NHTSA advises children to look for moving wheels, including around electric and hybrid vehicles that may make very little sound. NHTSA pedestrian-safety advice

When walking with a young child, hold the child’s hand and keep them beside you rather than allowing them to walk several steps ahead. Load children into the car before organizing groceries or other items so they are not standing unsupervised in the parking lot.

3. Children Playing Near Parked Vehicles

To a child, a parked vehicle may look like a playground, hiding place, or climbing structure. A driveway may also feel like part of the yard rather than a space where vehicles move.

Children should be taught never to play behind, underneath, or inside a parked car. Balls, bicycles, chalk, and scooters should be stored away from the driveway whenever possible. If a toy rolls under a vehicle, a child should ask an adult for help instead of crawling underneath to retrieve it.

Families can establish a designated “safe waiting spot” beside the house or driveway. Before a vehicle moves, every child must remain in that location with an adult. The driver should make visual contact with the supervising adult before reversing.

Supervision is essential even when children appear to understand the rules. Young children are impulsive and may forget instructions when excited, frightened, or distracted. Never assume that a child who was inside the house a minute ago is still there.

4. Hot-Car Emergencies and Vehicle Entrapment

A parked car can become dangerously hot much faster than many people realize. Cracking the windows or parking in the shade does not make it safe to leave a child inside.

According to NHTSA, the temperature inside a vehicle can rise almost 20°F during the first 10 minutes. Even when the outdoor temperature is in the mid-60s, the interior may eventually exceed 110°F. Children are more vulnerable to heatstroke because their bodies heat up more quickly than adult bodies.

Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a brief errand. The same rule should be applied to adults who cannot exit independently and to pets.

Build a reliable back-seat check into every trip:

• Look in every seat before locking the vehicle.
• Place an essential item, such as a work bag or one shoe, in the back.
• Keep a child’s toy in the front seat as a reminder.
• Ask a childcare provider to call if the child does not arrive as expected.
• Be especially careful when the normal driving routine changes.

Parked vehicles should remain locked at home as well. Some hot-car emergencies occur when children enter an unlocked vehicle while playing and cannot get back out.

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately and follow the dispatcher’s directions. Do not wait for the caregiver to return if the child appears distressed, unresponsive, confused, or unusually flushed.

5. Vehicle Rollaway Accidents

A vehicle can begin moving when it is not securely placed in Park or when the parking brake is not engaged. This can happen on a slope, but even a slight incline may be enough for a heavy vehicle to roll.

Modern safety systems reduce the risk but do not eliminate it. NHTSA warns that rollaway accidents can still occur, particularly when a keyless-ignition vehicle is turned off without being shifted into Park.

Whenever you park:

1. Keep your foot on the brake.
2. Shift the transmission fully into Park.
3. Engage the parking brake.
4. Turn off the vehicle.
5. Confirm that it is stationary before getting out.

Drivers of manual-transmission vehicles should follow the parking instructions in their owner’s manual, including the correct use of the parking brake and gear position.

Never leave keys or a key fob where a child can reach them. A child may be able to start the vehicle, release a brake, or move a selector without understanding the consequences.

If a driverless vehicle begins rolling, do not stand in front of it or try to stop it with your body. Do not attempt to jump inside if doing so puts you at risk of falling beneath it. Warn others, move away from its path, and call emergency services.

6. Injuries From Doors, Windows, and Power Liftgates

Car doors and windows can cause crushed fingers, bruises, fractures, and more serious injuries. Automatic sliding doors, sunroofs, and powered liftgates create additional pinch points.

Before closing any door, window, trunk, or liftgate, make sure all hands, feet, heads, clothing, pet leashes, and straps are clear. Do not allow children to operate these features without supervision.

Power windows deserve particular attention. NHTSA reports that children have suffered hand and wrist injuries, and some have been strangled when a window closed on their neck. Use the window-lock function when children are riding in the back and confirm that they are properly restrained before operating a window.

Automatic-reversing systems are useful but should never be deliberately tested with a hand or other body part. Features vary by vehicle, and the system may require a certain amount of resistance before reversing.

Powered liftgates can also close unexpectedly if someone presses a remote button, activates a foot sensor, or uses a control inside the vehicle. Keep the key fob under an adult’s control while people are loading or unloading the car.

7. Trunk Entrapment

An unlocked trunk can become a deadly hiding place. Once inside, a child may be unable to lift the lid, call for help, or tolerate the rapidly rising temperature.

Teach children that trunks are for cargo and are never safe places to play. Keep the car and trunk locked, store keys and remote controls out of reach, and secure fold-down rear seats so children cannot enter the trunk from the passenger compartment.

New passenger vehicles sold in the United States have been required to include an internal trunk-release mechanism since September 2001. These releases are generally designed to glow in the dark. Show older children what the release looks like and how it works, but make it clear that this knowledge does not make playing in a trunk safe.

If a young child is missing, check nearby vehicles and trunks immediately while someone contacts emergency services. Do not wait until the rest of the property has been searched.

8. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Garages

A running engine produces carbon monoxide, an invisible and odorless gas that can cause headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, unconsciousness, and death.

Never run a gasoline-powered car or truck inside an attached garage, even when the main garage door is open. Exhaust can accumulate or enter the home through doors, vents, and gaps. The CDC also recommends having a mechanic inspect the vehicle’s exhaust system regularly because a small leak can allow carbon monoxide to build up inside the passenger compartment. CDC carbon-monoxide prevention guidance

Before leaving the garage, confirm that the engine is completely off. This is particularly important with quiet engines and keyless ignition systems, where it may be less obvious that a vehicle is still running.

Install carbon monoxide detectors in appropriate locations inside the home and test them regularly. If an alarm sounds, leave the building immediately and call emergency services from outside. Do not enter the garage to search for the source.

9. Roadside and Vehicle-Maintenance Accidents

Standing around a disabled vehicle near moving traffic can be more dangerous than the original mechanical problem. If possible, move the vehicle completely out of the travel lane, activate the hazard lights, and call for roadside assistance.

Whether it is safer to remain inside or move to a protected location depends on the road, traffic, weather, and position of the vehicle. Crossing highway lanes on foot is extremely dangerous. Contact emergency services if the vehicle is blocking traffic or if you cannot determine a safe course of action.

Avoid standing immediately in front of or behind a disabled vehicle. Another driver could strike it and push it toward you. Never change a tire on the traffic-facing side unless the location is genuinely safe and you know how to perform the task correctly.

At home, do not crawl underneath a vehicle supported only by its emergency jack. The jack can shift, tip, or fail. Vehicle maintenance should be performed on a firm, level surface using equipment rated for the vehicle and appropriate secondary supports. If you are uncertain, leave the repair to a qualified professional.

Drivers approaching any stopped vehicle with flashing lights should move over when safe or slow down substantially. Move Over requirements differ in scope among states, but every state has laws intended to protect emergency personnel working beside the road. NHTSA Move Over guidance

A Simple Car Safety Routine for Every Family

Preventing accidents around cars does not require complicated equipment. It requires consistent habits:

• Walk around the vehicle before moving it.
• Account for every child and pet.
• Reverse slowly and keep actively checking.
• Never leave a child unattended inside a vehicle.
• Lock parked vehicles and store keys securely.
• Shift fully into Park and engage the parking brake.
• Check for hands and feet before closing doors or windows.
• Never idle a vehicle in an attached garage.
• Keep an emergency roadside kit in the car.
• Teach children that vehicles are transportation, not play areas.

These steps may feel repetitive, especially when you are rushed. That repetition is exactly what makes them effective. A dependable routine protects you on the days when you are tired, distracted, or dealing with an unexpected change.

Many accidents around cars happen at low speeds or while a vehicle appears to be safely parked, which is why the danger is so easy to underestimate. What safety habit does your family follow before backing out of the driveway or leaving a parked car? Share your routine—or a tip that other drivers should know—in the comments below.