Walking Safety Tips for Children, Adults

| August 29, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. (EYT) – It is alarmingly common for children to get hit by a vehicle while walking. Every day, 44 children are injured; that’s 16,000 kids each year.

When kids are young, they are taught to look left, right, left before crossing the street, and to cross with an adult. But as they get older, and they are no longer with an adult, it is important to teach them that walking safely goes far beyond looking both ways before they step off the curb.

With kids back in school, now is the perfect time for a refresher course on walking safety. Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx have teamed up to create an interactive infographic that demonstrates the seven common ways kids get hit, and how to avoid it.

“In less than five minutes, walkers can learn, or be reminded, how to not get hit by a car,” said Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “We designed the infographic to be a fun teaching tool for parents and kids, but just about everyone recognizes themselves in the common mistakes walkers make. Drivers and walkers share the road, so we just have to be smart about it. ”

The seven common ways kids get hit by cars:

1. One in five high school students crosses the street while distracted.

Prevent it by putting phones down, keeping heads up when walking.

2. Crossing someplace other than an intersection accounts for 81 percent of child pedestrian deaths.

Prevent it by taking extra time to cross at the corner instead of mid-block.

3. Seventy-five percent of teen pedestrian deaths occur between 7pm and 7am, when it’s dark out.

Prevent it by being especially alert when it’s dark out and making sure drivers can see you.

4. More than 1 in 5 pedestrian deaths happens at an intersection.

Prevent it by looking left, right, then left agian before crossing and continue looking in all directions while crossing.

5. Sidewalks can reduce pedestrian crashes by almost 90 percent.

Prevent it by walking on sidewalks to paths or walk facing traffic as far away from vehicles as possible.

6. Nearly 100 kids are killed by cars backing up every year.

Prevent it by watching out for cars backing up in parking lots or driveways.

7. More than 80 percent of pedestrians die when hit by vehicles traveling at 40 mph or faster. Less than 10 percent die when hit at 20 mph or less.

Preven tit by pausing at each lane of traffic and making eye contact with other drivers.


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