A study of child pedestrian deaths in Ireland has revealed a high fatality rate among toddlers, with a number of these children being knocked down in their own driveways.

Staff at Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin carried out a review of all child pedestrian deaths that occurred between January 2006 and December 2011. Victims ranged in age from 29 days to 16 years.

The study noted that while injuries from road traffic accidents are a leading cause of death among children worldwide, the number of children dying on Irish roads has fallen in recent years.

The researchers identified 45 child pedestrian deaths and found that 62% of the children involved were male.

Almost half (49%) of these deaths took place at the weekend, with 44% occurring in the summer months and 35% occurring in the evening time.

Over half (53%) of these deaths occurred in children aged between one and four years, and almost 30% were as a result of ‘low speed vehicle rollovers, mainly in residential driveways'.

In relation to low speed vehicle rollovers, the average age of the child involved was just over 21 months. In all of these cases, the cause of death was head injuries.

Furthermore, over 80% of these accidents took place outside the child's residence and in 54% of cases, the driver was a family member who was attempting to reverse their vehicle.

The researchers emphasised that young children do not have the attention, perception or cognitive skills to interact safely with road vehicles. For example, they are unable to assess the importance of speed and distance when it comes to moving vehicles.

They may also end up playing in potentially unsafe locations, such as driveways, and are heavily reliant on adult supervision.

The researchers said that some environmental features, such as increased traffic levels and a lack of playgrounds, are ‘significant risk factors'.

"The environmental features that best improve pedestrian safety are the provision of playground/recreation features and traffic calming. These relatively simple interventions have a significant and lasting impact on improving child pedestrian safety at a local level," they commented.

They also pointed out that the use of mobile phones may be having a negative effect on children's road-crossing abilities, as initial research suggests that these devices are very distracting and so increase the risk of an accident.

However, the researchers insisted that child pedestrian deaths are ‘highly preventable' and preventive measures should include better education of parents and other caregivers, the separation of driveways from play areas, the proper supervision of children and the installation of ‘object vicinity sensors' in all vehicles.

Details of these findings are published in the Irish Medical Journal.