Pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 5 to 14, claiming the lives of about 600 children annually, according to a recent report. This same report also indicated that more than 38,400 children were treated in emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries. Although pedestrian injuries are not as common as motor vehicle occupant injuries, a disproportionate number of the injuries sustained by child pedestrians are severe. External circumstances can increase the chances of child pedestrian accidents, but more often it is their innocence that makes them vulnerable to dangers on the road. Child pedestrians can be killed for a variety of reasons, including high traffic volume, high posted speed limits, absence of a divided highway, few pedestrian control devices, lack of alternative play areas like parks and irresponsible driver behavior. However, children are particularly at-risk pedestrians because they are exposed to traffic threats that exceed their cognitive, developmental, behavioral, physical and sensory abilities. This is exacerbated by the fact that parents often overestimate their children’s pedestrian skills. Take a look at some of the reasons why children under age 10 are unsafe, at-risk pedestrians:
- They often “dart out” into traffic, perhaps chasing after a toy or a pet.
- They may believe that if they can see the driver, the driver can see them.
- They may believe a green light means it is always safe to cross.
- They may believe drivers will always stop if they are at a crosswalk.
- They may believe cars can stop quickly.
- They often cannot accurately tell which direction sound is coming from.
- Their peripheral vision is significantly less than that of an adult.
- They may not be able to tell how fast a car is traveling or how far away it is.
Children simply do not have the cognitive abilities to be safe pedestrians. Both parents and drivers should be educated about the most common types of accidents, how to prevent them as both a pedestrian and a driver, how to teach children to be safe and how to improve pedestrian safety in their communities.
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