SALT LAKE CITY -- A study released by the University of Utah said children are up to two-and-a-half times more likely to be backed over by a minivan, SUV or truck than by a car.

The study found that children are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to be struck by a van than a car, and 53 percent more likely to be hit by a truck.

And the victims are more likely to be severely injured than those backed over by cars.

The university said that previous studies had suggested high-profile vehicles produce a large blind spot behind them, but no studies in the United States had attempted to document the rate of injury by type of vehicle.

The study used medical records and police reports of back-over injury data for Utah children under age 10 from 1998 to 2003. The findings are being published in the journal Pediatric Emergency Care.

According to N. Clay Mann, Ph.D., the study's lead investigator and director of research at the Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, the research showed the importance of educating parents and young children about dangers in the driveway and about establishing rules for safe play.

"But there is no substitute for walking behind (or at least looking behind) your vehicle before getting in and putting the car in reverse," Mann said.