Child Safety Law

Nothing is more precious than the safety of one’s child. Some of the most heart-wrenching cases personal injury attorneys see are those involving children who were victims of pedestrian accidents. Let’s take a look at why children are particularly vulnerable to pedestrian accidents, and what parents and drivers can do to prevent these tragic incidents.

Children are particularly vulnerable to pedestrian accidents, which cause severe injuries in many cases.

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 yearly 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. The question is, why are children so vulnerable to pedestrian collisions?

Sadly, it is their innocence that makes children so vulnerable to danger.

External circumstances can increase the chances of these accidents, but more often, it is their innocence that makes children vulnerable to dangers on the road. It is true that child pedestrian deaths can result from a variety of causes, 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 vulnerable 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.

When drivers don’t exercise proper caution, these seemingly harmless facts about children’s development can lead to tragedy. To minimize the risk, both parents and drivers should be educated about the most common types of accidents, how to prevent them, how to teach children to be safe in ways that fit their abilities and how to improve pedestrian safety in the community.

Though we call them “accidents,” there are some noticeable patterns to when, where and how child pedestrian collisions occur. Children are most likely to be involved in pedestrian accidents when walking on straight, paved, dry roads in urban or residential areas. Accidents are also most likely to happen during the hours of 4pm to 8pm, when children are traveling from school and playing outside. In a recent report, it was found that 43 percent of fatal child pedestrian accidents occurred between these dangerous hours.

Parents would do just about anything to protect their children. The hope is that an awareness of this information—why, where and when these accidents occur—can prevent them before they happen.