Pedestrian safety for kids
Pedestrian injuries are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S. for children ages 5 to 19. Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths. Whether your kids are walking to school, the park or a friend’s house, teaching them a few simple tips will help make sure they get there safely.
Top pedestrian safety tips
- Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Remind them to continue looking until they have safely crossed the street.
- Teach kids to put down phones, headphones and devices when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message to 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. Put down your phone, headphones and devices when walking around cars.