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Whit Johnson ReportingA nationwide campaign is underway to save small children from preventable auto accidents and Utah is leading the charge.
The Spot the Tot campaign is really about educating drivers on the common mistakes they make every day -- mistakes like only checking your mirrors before you back up. If you remember to walk around your entire car, you might spot a deadly accident before it happens.
Kristi Johnson, Child Injured in Back-Over: "The front wheel of her truck grabbed the side bar of his trike and pulled him up underneath the front wheel of her truck."
It' a parent's worst nightmare. Last summer two-year old Mitchell Johnson was the victim of an accident that could have been prevented. A driveway backover destroyed his spleen, damaged his liver and broke his bones. Mitchell survived, but he was lucky.
Janet Brooks, Spot the Tot Coordinator: "We know we still have work to do. We've lost two children in the last four weeks in backover incidents."
So Spot the Tot organizers are taking the campaign to the next level. It was launched in Utah last year, prompted by 36 deaths of children under the age of 10 over an eight year period. Today at the Utah department of Health organizers announced "Safe Kids Worldwide" is taking Spot the Tot nationwide.
"Primary Children's and Safe Kids Utah can't do this on their own. We don't have the resources to do it. But with the generous support of general motors and safe kids worldwide we're going to be able to get this message to every family across the country."
With the re-launch of the campaign comes education and awareness. Organizers say there are three common mistakes. Letting your children play in the trunk is a definite no. Never leave your child alone inside a car, temperatures can become deadly quickly. And probably the most common mistake, backing up without walking around your vehicle first.
There are new technologies out there to help minimize some of these accidents, such as rear vehicle cameras and trunk safety locks, but experts say child supervision is still your first ticket to safety.
