No exceptions! No excuses! No regrets! Be a good pedestrian safety role model. Most parents are faithful in teaching their children about pedestrian safety. Children are taught to cross at a crosswalk or corner and to obey traffic signals. Children hear what their parents say, but children also see what their parents do. Many parents have a different set of rules for themselves. Parents jaywalk, and parents frequently cross a street with the “Don’t Walk” sign blinking. When children hear one thing and see another, safety rules seem more like safety “suggestions.” If you want your child to believe that rules are rules and you want your child to follow those rules, then you need to follow the rules. Be a good role model.   No exceptions! No excuses! No regrets!

The Size of the Problem Nationwide

• In 1998, 20,000 children ages 14 and younger were injured when struck by a motor vehicle.
• Almost 1,000 children ages 14 and younger die as a result of being hit by a motor vehicle. About half of all child pedestrian deaths occur between 4 and 8 p.m.
• Pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths in children ages 5 to 9.
• More than 500 toddlers ages 1 and 2 are killed in pedestrian accidents each year. The majority of these deaths occur when a toddler is struck by a car backing down a driveway.

Source: National SAFE KIDS Campaign

Useful Info: Pedestrian Safety and the Child with Special Needs

If your child uses a wheelchair on sidewalks or streets, make certain the wheelchair is properly marked with reflective tape or lights. Adding a bike flag to the wheelchair makes it more visible in crowded areas.

Safety Habits: Protect Your Child from Pedestrian Injuries

Supervise young children. Do not allow young children to play unsupervised near a street or driveway.

Do not allow children to play in the street. Playing in the street, even a neighborhood street that is not busy, is not safe. Do not allow children on wheels – skateboards, scooters, roller blades, bicycles, wheelchairs – to enter a street from a driveway, especially a sloping driveway. This rule applies to children on sleds or snowboards. Teach children never to dart out into the street after a ball or a pet.

Teach children safety rules for walking. Cross streets in a straight line at the corner or in crosswalks. Never enter the street between parked cars. Obey traffic signals. Look left-right-left before crossing the street and continue checking as you cross. Walk on sidewalks where possible. On a road with no sidewalk, walk facing oncoming traffic. Wear light-colored clothing or reflective clothing on dark days or at nighttime.