5 Important Things to Teach Your Kids About Road Safety
The roads are potentially dangerous for any user. However, the danger is much greater for kids because they lack the spatial awareness to cross the road or be near a street. According to NHTSA, 3% of traffic fatalities involved children aged 14 or younger in 2020 alone.
Adult supervision is an excellent way to ensure a child’s safety on the road. But supervision is not always possible, so teaching your child about road safety is the most practical option.
Here are several road safety tips you can teach your child to ensure they are safe even in your absence.
Intersection Signals
Intersections have a reputation for being the most dangerous places on the road. The risk becomes so much greater when road users are unaware or choose to ignore traffic signals. So, teaching your kids about the different traffic signals at an intersection and the dangers posed by ignoring the signs is important.
But teaching is not enough. Always ensure that you also follow these rules at all times. Breaking the rules in the presence of your kids could create the impression that it is okay to do so. So, even when the road is clear, wait until the signals give you the right to cross.
Stick to the Pavement
Pavements are built for pedestrians. So it is important to train your child to always walk on the pavement even when the road is empty. Children learn a lot from observation. So, if you train your child about walking on the pavement, ensure you do the same when walking with them along the road.
Being on the pavement may not guarantee safety because some two-wheeler riders sometimes choose to ride on pavement, putting pedestrians at the risk of an accident. Therefore, train your child to be on the lookout for two-wheelers on the pavement.
Stay Alert
Distraction is one of the major hazards to pedestrians while using the road. Therefore, you must remind your kids to avoid any source of distraction, including phones and headphones/earbuds, while walking on the sidewalks or pavements.
Unfortunately, ensuring that the eyes and ears are always on the road does not completely eliminate the possibility of an accident.
The good news is that you may be able to recover compensation, especially if your injury or that of your child resulted from an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. However, you should consider talking to a skilled car accident attorney to help you pursue the rightful compensation for your damages.
Only Cross at a Zebra Crossing
Zebra crossings are among the safest places to cross the road. While most drivers will yield to pedestrians at zebra crossings, some won’t, so it is necessary to observe the distance between an approaching vehicle and the zebra crossing and its speeds.
If a vehicle is near a zebra crossing or moving at a relatively high speed, teach your child to assume they may not stop fast enough to avoid a collision, so do not get on the road at that point. Also, teach your child to ensure that they establish eye contact with the drivers of oncoming vehicles to be sure they can see them.
Stop Look and Cross
Not all streets have a designated crossing point, and your child may still need to cross such streets. The general rule for crossing the road is to look right, left, and right again for the presence of a moving vehicle.
If there is any vehicle within a relatively short distance, it is best to wait until they pass. If there is none, cross the road.
There are some areas where crossing the road is always a bad idea, and your child should avoid such, including near bends or between two stationary cars. Also, children aged below six should be reminded never to cross the road unless with adult supervision.
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