Pedestrian Safety for Kids
Parents and guardians continually fret about keeping their children safe around the roadway. There is little doubt that children will be around a road at some point, whether they are going to a friend’s house, heading to the library, or just biking around for some exercise. As adults, we know the basics of pedestrian safety, and we know that the roadways are filled with hazards. It is crucial that we do our part to ensure that our children understand the importance of pedestrian safety. Here, we want to discuss some important tips related to pedestrian safety for kids in Sacramento, California.
The Main Rules for Children Pedestrian Safety
The following tips will surely help increase your children’s knowledge of pedestrian safety and help ensure that they get to and from their destination without a pedestrian accident.
- Left, right, and left. We have all learned the left, right, and left rule. Children need to know to look in each direction every time they are ready to cross the street. Make sure that children know to use their senses to watch, listen, and wait for oncoming cars.
- Follow the traffic signals. You need to explain the importance of traffic signals, signs, and crosswalks to your children. Even if you are driving in your vehicle, you can explain to your children the purpose of all traffic lights and signs.
- Use sidewalks. If there are sidewalks present, they need to be used. If there are no sidewalks, then both adults and children should walk facing traffic and as far left side of the roadway as possible.
- Watch out for cars. Please teach your children to always be attentive to cars. Make sure that your kids know never to jump out in front of a moving vehicle, no matter how slowly they think the vehicle is going. Teach children to make eye contact with a driver and visibly wave at the driver before crossing in front of them.
- Never walk alone. The vast majority of children should not be walking near the roadways by themselves. This is particularly true for children ten years of age and younger. A kid should always have an adult with them.
- Increased visibility. Any person near the roadway, children included, should be wearing brightly colored clothing. It may even be appropriate for reflective clothing to be worn, particularly in the evening or nighttime. That said, children should not be out near the roadway at night if at all avoidable.
- Show by doing. As an adult, you need to know that children are watching what you are doing. You should be walking with your children when they are young and you need to display the actions that you want them to show when they are near the roadway.
Pedestrian Accidents are not Uncommon
According to data available from the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were a total of 1,484 pedestrian accident injuries and 25 pedestrian accident fatalities in children under the age of 15 in this state during the latest reporting year. Unfortunately, the human body lacks much protection for the forcible vehicle, and pedestrian accidents can lead to significant injuries, even when vehicles are moving at slower speeds.
Because pedestrian accidents can have such a significant effect on a person’s life, we encourage that pedestrian safety knowledge begin at a young age so children can internalize these lessons.