My worst nightmare nearly happened this morning 😞

[purrswhileheeats]

I was reversing out of my driveway and almost ran over my neighbour's child, he was directly behind my car. He's no more than three years old and the only reason I saw him was he was waving his arms in the air and I saw them in my rear view mirror. He's so tiny I wouldn't have seen him otherwise as he was below the level of the back window IFYSWIM. My neighbour was loading stuff into his boot so I beeped the horn and shouted to him, he ran over, grabbed the boy and took him inside.

I was shaking and crying (sorry, that's so MN) when I got to work. They're a new family on the estate, only moved in a few months ago. The dad must've known the boy was playing outside while he was loading the car but didn't bother to check where he was.

I'm waiting for them to come home so I can go and speak to them. It's so horrible, I feel sick thinking about what could have happened.

@AlexandraQueen

So how is that any different from waiting for a gap in traffic to reverse in? And if someone's got too close, then they'll have to go round you.

I don't really see how a busy road can be an argument for having to drive in.

Because there won't be a gap, on both sides on the road, to do this in.

And because there's no way to make your intention known in advance.

In fact, it could constitute dangerous driving.

Reversing out does not have these issues. It's clear you want to come out. Eventually, unless everyone's an arse, someone will let you, and mostly, you don't need space on both sides of the road at the same time.

All points I think I made in my last post?

@purrswhileheeats I think this threads been derailed from your original post somewhat...

You didn't do anything wrong today, you avoided an accident by being a responsible driver. It's understandable that you feel shaken by it, anyone would. And for those saying 'it wouldn't happen to me, I do x,y,z....' accidents like this happen every day, to anyone.

It's not about legalities, it's about being responsible and vigilant, as a driver, as a parent, as a pedestrian, as a cyclist..... legalities don't matter in the slightest when your left with the horrendous consequences that come with that split second lapse in concentration or judgement.

then they'll have to go round you

But the other side is full of traffic. Have you never lived anywhere busy? about 3 car lengths back is a roundabout. When I stop outside my house and cars zoom up my jacksy they also block the roundabout. It becomes loud and shouty very quickly.

@mrskoala

So then you indicate and stop early (maybe 2 houses too early) so now the traffic is stopped behind you, you move forward, and reverse in.

As I move forward so do they.

2 houses early is a roundabout btw

[quote AlexandraQueen]@mrskoala

So then you indicate and stop early (maybe 2 houses too early) so now the traffic is stopped behind you, you move forward, and reverse in.[/quote]
Guaranteed if hit did this drivers behind would be completely confused, and thus could cause mayhem.

Remember there needs to be a gap on the other side of the road, plus clear entry via dropped kerb.

What you are saying, on a busy road, is the definition of dangerous driving.

Hit = you

And 'thus' = 'this'

I used to live on an very busy A road in a London borough. There is no way I would ever have got to work in the morning if I'd tried to reverse out. It was a lot easier to reverse in. I did get honked at by impatient twats a few times, but otherwise I'd never be able to get the car out again.

I also used to drive in London and reverse into drives. This is a totally different. It's not busy slow moving so you can indicate and no ones moving fast anyway, It's fast traffic off a roundabout 2nd house along just before a left turn with fast flowing traffic on the other side. You can't reverse onto all driveways.

@flapjackfairy

Well presumably you could run over them just the same when reversing onto the drive.

I've nearly done that. Looked over my right shoulder and it was all clear. Looked over my left shoulder, no one there either. However, as I was looking over my left, they ran across the road behind my car from the right, obviously ignoring my reverse lights and reversing position. I looked over my right shoulder again, but by then they were behind the car. Worst was, they were an adult not some small child who doesn't know better. Luckily I saw the top of their head over my spare wheel (it's a jeep) and stopped my manoeuvre with a Bawhair between us!

And those honking you were presumably not so close you couldn't actually reverse?

How awful for you.

I not only have a backup (reverse) camera on my jeep but a signal sounds if anything is close by, even on the sides. I thought I wouldn't need it but now I couldn't live without it. It even sounds if I'm too close to a small flower pot!

[quote AlexandraQueen]@mrskoala

So then you indicate and stop early (maybe 2 houses too early) so now the traffic is stopped behind you, you move forward, and reverse in.[/quote]
I’m with Mrs Koala here. How do you convey to the cars behind you that you are planning to reverse into your drive 2 houses further on? If you indicate left they will just think you are going to turn left and drive into your drive. How would they know not to be up your bum when you moved forward?

Genuinely curious, not trying to be goady.

After a friends son was killed by a reversing car I’ve always drummed into my kids to check driveways when walking. I always reverse onto mine as we live in a road with a school but I appreciate that isn’t always possible.

@BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand

Of course you as the driver don’t want to hit them. But cars have to reverse, and will reverse, ffs they have reverse gear and they reverse. Unless you have a reversing camera you will never see a small child when you are reversing, they are too short.

Which is why following the highway code is a good idea. It's a start at least, if you're aiming to avoid hitting people as far as possible.

Take some driving lessons before you comment on something you know nothing about. You’ve clearly never driven a car. Then watch some child safety videos, and maybe try looking after young mobile toddlers so you can see what random things they can do.

What do you think will happen if you’ve checked the surroundings and there’s no kid? No kid in sight, no kid behind or near the car. Then you’ve started to reverse? Do you think you are going to see a crawling baby or mobile toddler wandering into the path of the car behind you? You will NOT see them, ffs they are tiny and will not appear in your rear vision mirror and you would be blind lucky to see them in side mirrors if you happen to be looking at one of the other side mirrors or rear mirror or behind your other shoulder when they dart in from the opposite direction.

Parents MUST ensure the safety of their young kids and assuming that a careful, slow driver will ALWAYS see a kid behind a reversing car is an ignorant, stupid thing to advise anyone and a case for excusing lazy, brain dead parenting.

You didn't reverse into the child though OP, so please take comfort from that.

I tell my primary aged DS about watching and listening out for reversing cars when he's out playing close by. The scariest near miss I've seen was when we were out walking and he and a friend were slightly ahead. As they passed a driveway a car started reversing and only stopped when the driver saw me waving. The children were tall enough to see so I don't know how he didn't notice them. But the thing that struck me was that as it was a Tesla it made almost no noise. The kids, and I had literally no warning that the car was about to move.

I am ashamed to admit there is a relative’s house I always drive into rather than reverse, just out of habit. I reverse park into most other places but for some reason, automatically drive into this one person’s drive. Will definitely be changing my ways, can’t believe how unnecessarily reckless I’ve been

This is why my dad always taught me to reverse onto a drive.

He said you can always drive in forwards easily but you might not be able to reverse out safely or easily.

Had you hit him you absolutely would have been held accountable.

What do you think will happen if you’ve checked the surroundings and there’s no kid? No kid in sight, no kid behind or near the car. Then you’ve started to reverse? Do you think you are going to see a crawling baby or mobile toddler wandering into the path of the car behind you? You will NOT see them, ffs they are tiny and will not appear in your rear vision mirror and you would be blind lucky to see them in side mirrors if you happen to be looking at one of the other side mirrors or rear mirror or behind your other shoulder when they dart in from the opposite direction.

You've totally missed my point - no one is claiming that reversing on to a drive is 100% guaranteed to be accident free.

Driving is never 100% safe, but drivers can make it a hell of a lot safer by choosing to do the less risky manoeuvre rather than the riskier one.

There is a lot of evidence showing that the odds of hitting someone are greater if you reverse off the drive rather than reversing in, and this applies to other car parking spaces too. This isn't just me and the highway code writers deciding to harp on about it for no good reason.

It's not me that needs driving lessons on this thread.

the thing that struck me was that as it was a Tesla it made almost no noise. The kids, and I had literally no warning that the car was about to move

I've been passed by a tesla on a pavement-less road and was shocked that I heard nothing until it was driving past me. Gave me a fright!

Of course people should drive in a safe fashion, and of course kids should be supervised when cars are about. But whether or not you're reversing in to or out of your drive, and whether or not the child/pedestrian/animal you've just backed over were at fault, you don't want an accident. Have just checked online, and all new cars in the State must have a reversing camera fitted. Hopefully, this will filter through to uk cars. In the meantime you can get a retrofit, and I would very strongly advise you to do so.

Well done for driving carefully and slowly OP so that you spotted the small child behind you.

It must have been horrendous to think you might have hit them. So stressful and upsetting totally understand that.

I'm sure the Dad would have had a terrible fright too. A lesson to keep a sharper eye on the little one. I hate toddlers around cars and roads.

Some arses on this thread.

Well, as the pedestrian on the pavement of a road exactly like the one @MrsKoala lives on, I am 100% certain the cars that drive forwards into their drives and reverse out are keeping me safer than those that have caused accidents by attempting to reverse on said main road. Sometimes, the road really is too fast and unsafe for a car to stop the traffic to reverse on it, and as a pedestrian on a narrow pavement next to it, I don’t want to be close to a multi car crash, and am not stupid enough on that particular stretch not to be highly alert to people exiting their drives whatever way their car is facing in at the time. It’s just a fact that the other car drivers are more alert to pedestrians possibly crossing the road and reversing cars coming off their drives than they are alert to cars slowing down then reversing towards them and stopping the traffic in both directions while doing so. It’s an A road - they drive fast on it, and expect to get to their destination fairly quickly.