South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
Our kids are going to be getting out of school for Summer Break pretty soon, and they’re going to be spending a lot of time outside. While that’s good for them and helps to keep them healthy, it also serves up some serious risks. We’re talking about the risks they face for pedestrian accidents.
Unfortunately, our young ones don’t always understand the workings of traffic and may end up being seriously injured or killed. As a matter of fact, there were close to 235 pedestrian fatalities among children under the age of 14 in the U.S. in 2009, according to Safe Kids USA.
Our Lauderhill child injury attorneys understand that these kinds of risks can happen anywhere — not just on the road. They can happen on sidewalks, parking lots and even driveways. As a matter of fact, these areas were the top locations where we saw children under the age of 3 get into pedestrian accidents. Close to 75 percent of these fatalities happen at non-intersection locations.
As a parent and a guardian, you’re going to want to keep your closest eye on your child between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. This is when these accidents are most likely to occur. More than 40 percent of these accidents happened during this small window of time.
If you’ve got a little boy in your home, you want to pay extra attention, too. Close to 70 percent of these accidents happened to young boys.
So we know the risks and we know who’s involved, now how do we help to keep them safe? Lucky for you, we’re here with some important safety tips for you to share with your children.
Child Pedestrian Safety Tips:
-Always cross the street by using a crosswalk or crossing where there is a traffic signal.
-Before crossing the road, make sure you make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they see you?
-Look left, right and left again before crossing the street. If you think you’ll have to hurry to make it across safely, wait until there is more time.
-Never let children under the age of 10 walk alone.
-Keep an eye out for vehicles that are backing up.
-Never play in the driveway or in a parking lot.
-Always walk across the street — never run.
-When riding a bike, always get off and walk the bike across the street. You don’t want to tumble over in the middle of an intersection.
-While playing outside, make sure you’re wearing bright clothes. This is going to help ensure that everyone around can see you.
-When it gets dark out, it’s time to go home. Your risks for an accident are higher when it’s dark.
-Never dart out into the road. Stop and look before stepping on the pavement.
If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, contact Freeman, Mallard, Sharp, & Gonzalez at 1-800-561-7777 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Florida Pedestrian Safety a Summer Concern, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, April 17, 2013
South Florida Tourist Drowning a Tragic Reminder of Risks, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, March 21, 2013