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| Pedestrian Safety
Every year, millions of children walk to school or to a bus stop. School-age children are especially vulnerable to pedestrian crashes, which result in tens of thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths each year. During the 1997-98 school year, 125 pedestrians ages 5 through 18 were killed during school transportation hours. In 1998, school-age pedestrians accounted for one-third of the total pedestrians injured in motor vehicle crashes. Children who ride the bus to school are at greatest risk when getting on and off the school bus. Each year more children are killed as pedestrians near the school bus than as passengers in a school bus. These tragic crashes can be reduced if children have a safe route to and from school, if they understand key traffic safety rules, if the motorists who share the roadways obey traffic laws and watch out for kids, and if parents, community leaders, and politicians understand the dangers children face when walking to and from school. A Safe Route to School Children need safe routes to school. This means a route with slower traffic, more crosswalks and crossing guards, and more sidewalks with wider surfaces and unobstructed views. In fact, routes that are safe for children benefit everyone in the community, especially disabled and elderly pedestrians. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed a Walkability Checklist to help parents and children assess their neighborhood and chart the safest route to school, the park, or a friend’s house. This checklist is available in English and Spanish and can be ordered or downloaded directly from NHTSA’s web page at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Orders can also be faxed to (202) 366-7721. Crossing the Street Children need to learn traffic safety rules at an early age. Parents should teach their children to follow these steps whenever they cross the street:
 nhen no cars are coming, walk – do not run – across the road. Keep looking for cars when you are crossing.If a car is parked where you are crossing, look to make sure there is no driver and that the car is not running. Then go to the edge of the car and look left-right-left to see if cars are coming.At intersections with traffic lights, watch for turning cars and obey all traffic signals. Wait until you see the WALK signal and the green traffic light, then follow the basic rules for crossing. (The WALK signal and the green light mean that it’s your turn to cross the street, but they do not mean it is SAFE to cross. You need to LOOK, and then go if no traffic is coming your way.)A flashing DON’T WALK signal means you shouldn’t start to cross the street. However, if you have already started crossing when it begins flashing, continue walking. The timing mechanism in the signal device allows you time to cross before it changes to a steady DON’T WALK signal.If you see a steady DON’T WALK signal, don’t begin to cross the street! Wait for the next WALK signal.Walk on the sidewalk if there is one. If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk on the road, be sure to walk facing traffic so you can see what’s coming.If you must walk through parked traffic, stop and look carefully before stepping out from between vehicles. Don’t run between parked cars and buses. Don’t run across the street or through a parking lot.
Be Seen, Be Safe Children are less visible to drivers because they are smaller than other pedestrians. Wearing brightly colored clothing is one way to make it easier for drivers to see young pedestrians during the day. After dark, children should carry a flashlight or wear special reflective material on their shoes, clothing, or book bags. It is also important to stop, look, and listen before crossing the road at night. Parents and Motorists Can Help Parents and motorists have a responsibility to help ensure the safety of child pedestrians. It is important to keep in mind that children are not small adults. Until they are at least 10 or 11 years old, children don’t have the skills to handle traffic. Because they are short, it is difficult for children to see motorists or for motorists to see them. Because their peripheral vision is approximately one-third narrower than an adult’s, children can’t see a motorist approaching from the right or left as soon as an adult can. Children also have difficulty judging a car’s speed and distance, and they often think that if they can see the driver, the driver can see them. Parents or other responsible caregivers must supervise children at all times. They must teach children how to cross the street safely, and they must always set a good example when crossing the street with children. Drivers should observe speed limits at all times, but especially around children. When driving in school zones, near playgrounds, or in neighborhoods where children might be playing, motorists should always expect a child to dart out into the roadway. When turning left at a green light or making a right turn on red, drivers need to look for pedestrians as well as cars. Pedestrians always have the right of way in these situations. National Walk our Children to School Day A key program to address the issue of child pedestrian safety is National Walk Our Children to School Day, sponsored by NHTSA and the Partnership for a Walkable America. Last year, nearly half a million people across the United States and Canada participated in this event. Even more are expected this year for the Fourth Annual Walk Our Children to School Day, scheduled for October 4, 2000. This event gives children, parents, other caregivers, and community leaders from all over the country a chance to walk to school together to promote safer streets, physical fitness, and good pedestrian safety habits. For more information, contact [LOCAL ORGANIZATION] at [CONTACT INFO]. |
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