Backover Accidents: Causes and Prevention

Posted by & filed under personal injury, The Travis Law Firm Blog.

Backover Accidents Cause Loss of Life and Devastating Injuries

Backover accidents are not as common as other types of collisions, but when they happen, they are often traumatic and deadly. They occur when a vehicle is backing up, and the driver fails to see someone to the rear. While such accidents occur in parking lots or when a vehicle is exiting a driveway, they also happen at construction sites. The number of pedestrians and workers who are injured or killed has risen over the last decade. 

Incidence of Backup Accidents

Annually, 500 people die due to a backup accident and roughly 15,000 individuals are injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  They account for roughly 25 percent of traffic accidents. 

Reasons for Backover Accidents

The NHTSA says that backover accidents occur for two reasons, both of which involve driver error. They are:

  • The driver fails to see the object or person behind them.
  • The driver did not adhere to best practices when backing up.

Other Frequent Reasons for a Backover Accident

The following are less frequent reasons for a backover accident:

  • Automotive devices that alert a driver to someone or something behind them are not functioning properly and cause many backover accidents.
  • Backover accidents also result from a pedestrian or vehicle in the driver’s blind spot.
  • Assistants, called spotters, fail to see a vehicle behind them and open the way for a crash.
  • A noisy construction site may make it harder for a pedestrian to hear the beeping sound a backing-up vehicle makes. The onus is on the driver to take this into consideration and avoid a car accident.
  • Children are at particular risk for backover accidents. The driver who fails to look to see if a child is passing behind them is most often involved in this type of accident.

Ways to Prevent a Backover Accident

There are things you can do to prevent a backover accident such as:

  • Don’t back up unless it is absolutely necessary.
  • Always try to get someone to help when you are backing up.
  • Use a rearview camera to help you see what is behind you. Today, they are common in many vehicles. If your car or truck is older, you can have a camera retrofitted. 
  • Ultrasonic sensors are able to bounce signals off an object or person to the rear and emit a signal to alert the driver. 
  • You can also check out the perimeter of the vehicle on foot in a particularly congested area. 
  • Be aware of your blind spots.
  • Never back up quickly. Do it slowly and be aware of what is around you at any given time. 
  • Instead of backing out of a driveway into the traffic flow, see if it is possible to back into the driveway instead. 

Proper Training for Construction Workers

It is essential that drivers at a construction site receive blind spot recognition training. In addition to knowing where your blind spots are, it is vital to know where blind spots on other vehicles exist. This helps both the driver and the pedestrian avoid an accident.

Travis Law Firm

Backover accidents can be catastrophic. It is important to use every means at your disposal to eliminate them. If you have been injured or a family member died because of a negligent driver in a backover accident, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. Let the Travis Law Firm help you. Call (814) 277-2222 to arrange for a free, no-obligation case review. If it is easier for you, contact us online.