A parent should nurture and provide for their offspring. Keeping children safe, especially school-aged children, can seem like a full-time job on its own. Children often have a well-developed sense of adventure before they understand personal danger. Nowhere is that more obvious than when your children are in close proximity to moving vehicles.
Kids don’t always consider the risks before they act. They don’t think about getting hurt in the street, only that they want to go see if a friend is home. Unfortunately, many children every year get hurt, and some even die because they didn’t follow pedestrian safety rules.
Teaching your children to follow respect the danger posed by motor vehicles could potentially prevent a tragic accident.
Always cross at marked crosswalks if possible
One of the reasons pedestrian crashes are so common is that drivers just don’t look for pedestrians. They are more likely to pay attention to people walking at marked crosswalks. Even if your children have to go a little bit out of their way to cross at a crosswalk, doing so reduces the risk that a driver will fail to notice them.
Always make a three-point check before stepping into the street
Children often think that they will see and hear a car coming without actively looking for traffic. They need to look carefully every time they intend to cross the road. It’s important to encourage them to always look left, then right and then left again before they step off the curb.
Never walk in the road while distracted
No one should walk on public roads while staring down at a phone or listening to something over headphones. Distracted pedestrians are far more likely to get hurt than those paying attention to traffic nearby.
Cross with another person whenever possible
Young children often have trouble consistently applying crosswalk safety rules. Requiring that they cross with an adult until they demonstrate complete mastery of proper safety practices 100% of the time is an important rule. It is also good to encourage your children to cross the street with another person whenever possible even after they no longer require an adult to cross the road.
Teaching your children about crosswalk safety can reduce their risk of getting hurt in a pedestrian crash caused by an inattentive driver.