When the weather gets warm, driveways can be busy places – especially for kids.
Shooting hoops and riding bikes. Drawing with chalk and playing other games.
With so much going on, it’s important to remember that injuries can happen. Here, experts offer advice on how to help keep everyone safe in the driveway.
Watch behind you
“Every year, thousands of children are killed or seriously injured because a driver backing up didn’t see them,” nonprofit group Kids and Cars says. Many of those incidents happen in home driveways – with “a parent or close relative behind the wheel.”
Younger kids can act on impulse (especially if they don’t want you to leave) and may run to a car or truck, not understanding that the driver can’t see them.
Before backing out of a driveway, take a minute to walk around your parked vehicle to check for kids.
Safe Kids Worldwide, another advocacy group, also recommends you:
- Mark a safe spot for kids to wait when vehicles are about to move. One idea: Use chalk to draw a “stand here” box. (You can let your kids help you draw it.) Make sure it’s easy for drivers to see, too.
- Hold hands with small children when they’re getting into and out of parked vehicles. If you have more than one child who will need help, think about buying a magnetic decal. (Some are designed to look like a handprint.) Place it on your vehicle and make it a rule that your child has to keep their hand on that spot until you tell them it’s safe to move.
Be alert on bikes
A driveway may seem like the safest place for kids to ride their bikes or skate, but it’s not risk free, experts say. Uneven surfaces can lead to falls, especially when driveways are sloped or hilly.
And riders who bike down the driveway and into the street could face added danger. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says kids younger than 10 aren’t always able to make the quick decision needed for them to ride safely in the street without an adult.
The Cleveland Clinic adds, “It can be easy for a driver to miss someone on their bike.”
To help prevent kids from leaving the driveway, some parents set up a sports net at the end of the driveway during playtime. Placing safety cones at the end of the driveway can alert drivers that kids are nearby.
And when kids are on wheels, make sure they’re wearing a helmet that fits.
Step safely
Being barefoot outdoors is a summertime staple. But it can be unsafe.
“Walking barefoot on hot surfaces such as blacktop or cement can burn the bottoms of your feet,” says Thomas Landretti, a podiatrist with Wausau, WI-based Aspirus Health. Plus, being barefoot raises the risk of stepping on rocks, glass and sharp objects that “could penetrate the skin and cause an infection.”
Shoes such as sneakers that have a firm but flexible bottom, and cover the whole foot, are good for kids.
Create a safe area
A driveway with a basketball hoop can attract kids from all over the neighborhood. But whether it’s a casual shootaround or a full-on game, chances are good that, at some point, the ball will roll down the driveway. Many sporting goods stores sell special netting that can be installed around driveway “courts” to keep balls in the area.
Picking up sticks and stones can help prevent injuries during basketball games and all other driveway fun. So can putting away bikes, skateboards, roller skates, hoses and lawn equipment that are lying around. When it comes to safety, small changes can make a big difference.
