Speeding in school zones is a big problem. Speeding period is a problem, and on average 44 kids are hit by vehicles each day while walking. 44 kids a day! Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 19. Teenages are not at greatest risk. Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths.
We need to do two things. First, quit speeding, especially in school zones. But more importantly, we need to teach our kids safe walking habits. Things that I learned as a kid, such as cross in a cross walk or at a corner, and look both ways before crossing the street seem to have been lost.
I say this because some cities have actually passed laws to fine people who cross the street using their electronic devices. Too many people were being hit by cars while texting instead of looking. I don’t see speeding in school zones and other places kids walk stopping, so we must teach our kids to be more safe. It doesn’t matter if it is the driver’s fault, it is the child hit by the car that will be injured or killed. Fault won’t bring a dead child back.
While walking to school one morning with my daughter we watched a car not even slow down at a stop sign where we were about to cross. Stepping out into the street, assuming the car would stop at the stop sign, would have gotten us hit. And the guy blew through the sign pretty fast too, definitely fast enough to kill a child my daughter’s size. It was a good example for both of us, and gave me a chance to point out why the stuff I teach her is so important. And as I wrote above, this isn’t just about young kids. Teenagers are at a greater risk, and I suspect that is largely due to earphones and texting instead of looking and watching.
Top Tips from Safe Kids Worldwide
- Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
- Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.
- It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
- Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
- Be a good role model. Set a good example by putting your phone, headphones and devices down when walking around cars.
More on keeping kids safe at Safe Kids Worldwide.
Here is a report Jeff Rossen did for the Today Show on this subject:
A Big Thanks to NBC for their Rossen Reports on safety topics.