Injury prevention Pedestrian Safety

Being a good role model It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to show a child good and safe habits. You can tell a child all day how to follow the rules, but you must be a good role model so they can see you doing the correct things. It is easier for a child to understand and follow directions if they see someone doing the correct things.

Facts Children are at an increased risk for pedestrian injury and death. This is due to the fact that most children are unable to fully understand the concept of traffic. Parents are also known to overestimate their child’s traffic skills. Pedestrian injuries is the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death among children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. Pedestrian injuries and deaths are more common in built up areas. 42% of child pedestrian deaths happen between the hours of 4pm-8pm 4/5 drive away related incidents happen to children ages four and under

Tips Don’t allow children under the age of 10 to cross the street by themselves. Use street comers and crosswalks. Walk on the side walk when it is available. Be aware of the weather and how it can effect your safety. Teach children to cross the street at least 10 in front of the bus.

Make sure that children play in safe areas. Wear appropriate colors when out at night. - light colors make it easier for drivers to see pedestrians. Hold your child’s hand when walking through parking lots. Make eye contact with drivers before you cross the in front of a car. Be aware of traffic patterns in your area.

Myth Fact A green light means it is safe to cross. A green light means you should look for traffic and only cross if it's safe. Be sure to keep looking for cars coming or turning while you are crossing. You are safe in a crosswalk. Sometimes drivers make mistakes. Always make sure it is safe to cross, even at a crosswalk. If you see the driver, the driver sees you. The driver may not see you. Make sure the driver sees you and stops before you cross in front of the car. Try to make eye contact with the driver. The driver will always stop if you are in a crosswalk or at a green light. The driver may not see you. The driver's view may be blocked. The driver may go through a red light. The driver may turn and not look for pedestrians. White clothes at night make it easy for drivers to see you. White clothes can be hard to see too. Carry a flashlight. Wear retro reflective clothing. Walk facing traffic .

Resources www.Safekids.org http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/call/pedestriansafety.html www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/upload/Energizers_for_Grades_K_2.pdf