As parents, it is our duty to ensure that our children are safe. Part of this is to teach our kids how to safely walk on sidewalks, cross streets at crosswalks, and look both ways for oncoming traffic. This is important no matter where you live, but it is especially critical in urban areas with lots of traffic. With speeding cars, stop-and-go buses, bike lanes, and one-way streets, city traffic can present several potential dangers to pedestrians.
Here are some ways that you can teach your children safe walking practices:
- Show kids where to walk. Show children that they must always walk on the sidewalk and never in the street. If there is no sidewalk available and you must walk in the street, always walk against the flow of traffic so that you can see oncoming vehicles. It is also important to teach your children never to walk in between parked cars. If they can’t see a car coming toward them, the driver probably won’t see them either if they dart out from a line of parked cars.
- Teach kids basic pedestrian responsibilities. Pedestrians are required to abide by certain rules just like drivers. In order to reduce their chances of being involved in an accident, distractions like listening to music, texting, or talking on a cell phone should be kept to a minimum. These distractions could make the pedestrian less likely to hear and react to their environments.
- Explain how to cross streets safely. When crossing the street, always use the designated crosswalk – never cross in the middle of the road or between parked cars. This is called jaywalking, and it is extremely unsafe.
- Show kids how to look. Teach your children never to assume that a driver will see them or stop, even at a crosswalk when you have the signal. Always look both ways for approaching drivers who may be trying to speed through a yellow or red light. Also, teach your kids to be cautious around driveways, as cars may be pulling in or backing out.
- Be a good example. If you take things seriously, your children will too. Resist the temptation to break any of the safety rules that you have explained to them.
Pedestrian accidents are unfortunately very common in Florida, which has the highest number of fatalities in the country. If you have been hurt in a pedestrian accident or have lost a loved one due to a driver’s carelessness, Kelley/Uustal may be able to help you pursue just compensation for your losses. We have obtained hundreds of millions of dollars for injured people, so you can feel confident that our seasoned attorneys know what it takes to fight for maximum compensation.
