Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/03/2020 --It's summer, which means kids, families, and neighborhoods are likely buzzing with activity. Kids are playing outside and summer weekends and holidays are full of parties, vacations and tons of fun. There is even more interest in being outside, as kids end school and COVID restrictions are relaxed. Unfortunately, this is also the most common time for accidents.

"The terms backover and frontover refer to when an infant or child is accidentally rolled over by a moving vehicle in a driveway or parking lot," said Jessica Strong, Community Health manager at Intermountain Healthcare Primary Children's Hospital. Though this may seem like a rare occurrence, it happens regularly. In fact, in the warm weather months, a Utah child is run over in a driveway or parking lot every seven days."

"The most common victim age is one year old," said Strong. "Children under five are at the most risk. The absolute worst part is that most injuries occur when a parent or guardian is driving."

Strong said that trucks, vans, and SUVs have the worst front and rear visibility. Mid-morning or late afternoon are when the most accidents happen.

"These accidents are tragic and can happen to anyone, but are preventable by taking a few precautions - and only a few seconds."

Spot the Tot is a program that was started by Intermountain Healthcare to prevent unintentional injuries to children around vehicles.

To prevent backovers and frontovers, always remember to:

1. Walk Around Vehicle
Take 10 seconds to ensure the area is clear by walking all the around your vehicle before getting in the driver's seat.

2. Listen & Be Aware
Turn down your radio, roll down your windows and actively listen to what's happening outside your vehicle.

3. Eliminate Distractions
Put your phone in your purse or pocket before heading out and leave it out of sight once you're in the car. Turn down your radio and stop conversations as you prepare to leave your parking spot.

Additionally, Strong gives these suggestions to reduce blindspots:
- Make sure side and rear mirrors are always properly adjusted.
- Adjust your driver's seat as high as needed to see clearly out the rear window.
- Have a backup camera? Great! But remember: even backup cameras have blindspots.

"It's important to teach your children not to play in, under or around vehicles," said Strong. "Make sure you know where all of your children are before you start to drive away, but with a full house — or a full neighborhood — you can never assume that everyone is out of harm's way."

Help prevent backover and frontover accidents by putting a Spot the Tot window decal on your vehicle to remind you to take a few seconds for safety before driving away. Follow the instructions below and we will mail you a free Spot the Tot sticker!

To request a Spot the Tot sticker, please email the following information to PCHHOTDL@imail.org.

- Name
- Mailing Address (We currently do not ship internationally.)
- Quantity Requested (Maximum of 10 per person.)

Learn more about our Spot the Tot program at primarychildrens.org/SpotTheTot.

About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainhealthcare.org.