Police and coroner investigating death of Saanich toddler who was tragically hit and killed by her dad’s vehicle in the family’s driveway. Tess van Straaten reports.

A Saanich toddler who was struck by a minivan in the Beckwith Park neighborhood has succumbed to her injuries. Police say the toddler’s father was leaving his home on Saturday, July 7 at around 3 p.m. when the two-year-old girl was hit in the driveway. Family, police, and ambulance all performed life-saving measures before the toddler was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. “This is a horrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Sgt. Jereme Leslie wrote in a statement. An investigation into the incident is being led Saanich Police and the BC Coroners Service.According to this report by the BC Coroners’ Service , seven toddlers were fatally injured between 2005 and 2014 by vehicles reversing or moving forward in a driveway. In fact, almost half of children age one to four in the review period — which looked at pedestrians, cyclists and skateboards — were killed in driveways. Safety concerns are the reason back-up cameras and warning sensors are now the top-selling item at Sound Advice in Victoria. “As of 2018, the mandate is for all new vehicles to have factory back-up cameras but there are a lot of older vehicles on the street that do not have it,” explains Joe Reda of Sound Advice. “You have huge, huge blind spots without a camera.” Sound Advice says they install several after-market cameras every week, which can be added to almost all vehicles. “When you have a back up camera you can view behind you your blind spots where you cannot see on your side mirrors or right behind you and let’s face it there are a lot of vehicles out there that you can’t see what’s behind you,” says Reda. The B.C. government also has these tips on how to avoid a driveway accident.