Message from Roads Minister Duncan Gay

WHENEVER we hear of a child being injured or killed in a driveway, it is a tragedy for everyone involved.

WHENEVER we hear of a child being injured or killed in a driveway, it is a tragedy for everyone involved Â…the family, their neighbours and the surrounding area.

Even if you are the most vigilant parent, a child can be hit in a driveway by a neighbour, a relative or a visitor.

Children are amongst our most vulnerable, but there are ways to reduce the risk of a child being hit in a driveway.

This is why the NSW Government is fully supportive of the Daily Telegraph’s Child Driveway safety Campaign.

We need to start a conversation about the safety of our children around driveways and how we as a society can better protect our children.

As a society we can have no greater wish than to see our children grow up safely.

The conversation needs to start at home but should be extended to neighbours, friends and even trades people visiting your home.

There are some simple ways in which the risk to young children can be reduced.

Hold onto your child’s hand around driveways or any area where cars are being moved, if you are alone and need to move your car, buckle your children into the car first, always drive slowly in driveways and even if you have a reversing camera check the driveway first.

I am disappointed to see that many of our large SUV type vehicles do not have reversing cameras as standard equipment. Even on the biggest and most expensive they are available only as an option.

I believe every SUV sold in Australia should have reversing cameras and beyond that we should make them standard issue for smaller cars.

Our little people are so vulnerable and hard to see and predict.