Parents want to keep their children safe at all times. This is particularly true when a child will be in and around the roadway. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are a regular occurrence and often happen due to inattentive drivers. At Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C., our Boston pedestrian accident attorneys want to discuss some pedestrian safety tips for children.
The Dangers To Children Are Real
During the latest reporting year in the Commonwealth, there were more than 2,000 total pedestrian crashes. Out of these, there were 54 fatalities and 2,029 total injuries reported. When we look at the statistics provided by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, we can see that many of these injuries happened to children under the age of 18.
Top Pedestrian Safety Tips For Children
Pedestrian accident prevention is the best way to keep children safe in and around the roadway.
- Ensure you teach kids at an early age to look left, right, and left again before they cross the street. Teach kids to continue looking around them until they are safe across the street.
- Teach children to put the distractions away when they are near the roadway. This is particularly important for children who have cell phones or other electronic devices. If they are staring at a phone screen, they may not see dangers around them. If children have headphones in their ears, they may not hear an approaching vehicle.
- Make sure that children know it is safer to walk on sidewalks or paths if they are available. They should also learn to cross streets at street corners, using crosswalks and traffic signals if they are installed. Children should walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible if there are no sidewalks.
- Teach children that they also need to watch out for vehicles backing out of driveways and parking spaces. When a driver is backing up, they may have trouble seeing children behind them. Teach your child to wait patiently while the vehicle backs up.
- Eye contact is important. Teach your child to never assume a driver sees them when attempting to cross the street. Make sure they know to make eye contact with the driver and wait until the driver acknowledges them.
- As your children are learning pedestrian safety, make the process interactive. Ask your children what they would do in certain situations when you are out for a walk. Let them explain the process in their own words.
- Be a good adult role model. Children will copy what you do, so put away your phone, take your headphones out, and model good pedestrian behavior when walking around vehicles.
Let Our Attorneys Help You With Your Case
If your child has been injured in a pedestrian accident that was caused by another driver’s negligence, seek legal assistance immediately. At Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C., we know that you need compensation for what has happened. We will work diligently to secure the following:
- Coverage of your child’s medical bills
- Compensation for lost income if you cannot work
- Mental anguish damages
- Loss of enjoyment of life damages
- Possible punitive damages against a grossly negligent driver
If you need a Boston pedestrian accident attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or by calling 617-917-3917.