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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
According
to the National Kids Safety Campaign, in their online
article Pedestrian,
"pedestrian injury remains the second leading
cause of unintentional injury-related death among
children ages 5 to 14." That's a scary thought
for the thousands of parents who's youngsters will
assert their independence and ask to walk by themselves
as they head back to school for another year of fun
and learning.
But
while these adorable little beings think they are
grown up enough to manouver about the streets without
the aid of Mom, Dad or their Caregiver, parents should
think twice before giving their kids the green light
to "proceed with caution and stop at every corner."
The National Kids Safety Campaign points out in Pedestrian,
Why Kids Are at Risk, that "Very few
children under age 10 can deal safely with traffic."
Because
they say,
- "Children
have difficulty judging how fast cars are moving,
how far away they are and which direction traffic
sounds are coming from.
- Young
children often have mistaken beliefs about cars.
They think cars can stop instantly, or that if they
can see a driver, the driver can see them.
- In
general, children have trouble recognizing and reacting
to danger."
And
the statistics on their Website prove their point.
"In 2001, 43 percent of traffic-related child
pedestrian deaths occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Most (82 percent) occurred in the middle of a block
or at other nonintersection locations." So while
we think our children are doing as they've been taught,
they are actually and often tragicaly, not playing
by the rules.
It
is up to parents and child care providers to keep
teaching the rules of the road to our children, and
not to let any child walk to school unattended until
they can prove, without so much as a single hesitation,
that they are mature enough to handle the priveledge.
"Going
for walks is a great way to teach young children the
rules of the road," says Catherine Pruissen,
in her childcare.net article, Street Proofing Our
Kids. Her article also offers the following was to
teach children street safety:
- Always
stop at the curb or road edge before entering the
street.
- Look
left, right, then left again before crossing.
- Look
over your shoulder for turning vehicles. As you
cross the road, keep looking left, right, then left
again.
- Where
traffic lights are placed, only cross when the light
is green or the "WALK" light is on.
- Before
you cross, always look left, right, then left again.
- When
a "DON'T WALK" sign appears, wait on the curb until
the "WALK" sign comes on.
- If
you are already in the street keep walking. Never
walk out from behind a parked vehicle. Walk to the
nearest intersection to cross the street.
- If
children must walk where there are no sidewalks,
teach them to facing the traffic and to keep to
the left as far away from the road as possible.
Resources:
Pedestrian,
National Kids Safety Campaign-
Pedestrian,
Why Kids Are at Risk, National Kids Safety
Street
Proofing Our Kids, Catherine Pruissen, childcare.net
Child
Pedestrial Safety, Catherine Pruissen, childcare.net
Other
Helpful Resources:
Pedestrian
Safety Checklist, from Safekids.org
Street
Proofing Our Kids Safety Tip Card, from childcare.net
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