Rules of the Road
Parents may worry about drugs and diseases that could kill their children, but according to a new national study the biggest risk for kids is cars. The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a Washington D.C. advocacy group, reports that 837 kids die each year after being hit by cars. Betty Coleman, a crossing guard, says it’s like a race track in front of her school. “Definitely the problem is getting worse,” says Linda Schrenko, a state school superintendent.
On June 20, 1997 it couldn’t have gotten any worse for John and Trina McChancey. Their 13 year old son Eric was roller blading along the side of a road when a car approached. “She had not slowed down and she was going a minimum of 45 miles per hour. She hit him head on and killed him,” says Trina McChancey, Eric’s mother.
Experts say it’s crucial to teach kids the rules of the road, how to navigate busy streets, look both ways and to be on the offensive for fast drivers and oncoming traffic.
Trina McChancey says parents could use a reminder themselves. “I saw a sign downtown the other day,” says McChancey. “It said drive as if your children were playing here and most people don’t do that.”
What Parents Should Know
Teaching children the following rules will help kids protect themselves:
- Dress properly so oncoming cars can see kids in the dark.
- Walk on the sidewalk if one is available.
- Walk on the left side of the road facing traffic if a sidewalk is not available.
- Walk beside the road, not on it if possible.
- Obey traffic signs and signals.
- Do not step between or in front of parked cars.
- Look for traffic in both directions before crossing the street.
It is also important to educate children about safety rules for loading and unloading a school bus. Surveys show fatalities in the loading and unloading school bus zone climbed 20% in one year. The age range of the victims was 5 to 15 with the greatest number of deaths occurring in the younger age range. Most of the students were killed outside the front of the bus in clear weather.
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“I saw a sign downtown the other day. It said drive as if your children were playing here. Most people don’t do that.” --Trina McChancey, mother |
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Seeing Is Believing Some experts say the best way to convince kids to be careful on roadways is to show them with graphic videos and pictures the damage an automobile can do. “These kids live in a visual world. It’s something they’ve experienced from the time they’re young children,” says Linda Schrenko, a state school superintendent. “For them, seeing is believing.” |
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Slowing Down Saves Lives Studies show that a child or adult hit by a car is less likely to be injured or killed if the car is driving at a slow rate of speed. According to PEDS, Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety, Inc. *At 20 mph,
only 5 percent of walkers are killed, most injuries are slight,
and 30 percent suffer no injury. The most common type of pedestrian crash involves young children who run into the street in the middle of the block. |
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Resources
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PEDS – Pedestrians
Educating Drivers on Safety |
For
more information on parenting issues contact us: Connecting with Kids |