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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
As
spring arrives so does the urge to get outside and
enjoy the great outdoors. That means taking the kids
for walks around the block or to the local park to
burn off some steam. But as you take the kids out,
remember that traffic injuries are the leading cause
of death and a major factor in the hospitalization
of children under the age of 14. Many of these injuries
result from children getting hit by vehicles.
Here
are some interesting facts:
- Boys
are injured as pedestrians nearly twice as often
as girls.
- Lower
income children are at greater risk.
- Children
under the age of 9 show little awareness of the
dangers of crossing the road. Young children are
unable to determine when it is safe to cross the
street because they have not yet developed the abilities
to do so.
Did
you know that?
- Injuries
are most likely to occur during the evening rush
hour from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.
- Areas
with high traffic volumes, higher than average speeds,
and fewer crossing signals put children at increased
risk.
- Studies
have found that more than half of the pedestrian
injuries to children under 9 years of age result
from children darting out into the street without
warning.
- Fatigue
and lack of attention increase the risk of children
suffering a pedestrian injury on the way home from
school.
Preventing
Pedestrian Injuries
Here are some simple tips that'll keep your children
and the children in your care safe from harm.
- Children
under 9 should always be accompanied by alert adults
when crossing the street.
- Teach
children to look left, right, then left again before
stepping out into the street. Children should only
proceed when there are no oncoming cars in
either direction.
- Children
should always walk on the sidewalk. If there are
no sidewalks, pedestrians should walk facing traffic.
- Teach
children to recognize pedestrian crossing signals.
Remind them to continue across if the light changes
to "Don't Walk" while they are in the
crosswalk.
- Drivers
need to always be alert for children and adhere
to speed limits.
Provided
by SAFE KIDS, sponsored by the Children's Health Foundation
of Northern Alberta and the Alberta Children's Hospital.
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©
Catherine M. Pruissen
Catherine M. Pruissen is the CEO of About Child Care
Consumer Services and developer of child care online.
She has published numerous child care related literature,
including Start and
Run a Profitable Home Day Care, The
Daycare Alternative, How to Find Good Child Care,
Caregiver Aids: Business
Forms for Caregivers and Parents, Income
Tax & Record Keeping for Child Care Providers,
and a host of workshops and workbooks. She was the editor
and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter, Parent Care,
Your Child Care News-line. Catherine was also the coordinator
and workshop facilitator for The Child Care Information
Centre in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome
for eight years. |
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