Pedestrian Safety for Children
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Keep your child or teen safe as a pedestrian. All children and teens learn by watching adults. Be a positive role model by following the rules and seeking opportunities to teach your child about pedestrian safety.
Follow and Teach the Rules of the Road
- Obey all traffic signs and signals. Use pedestrian pushbuttons and WAIT for signals to cross.
- Cross in marked crosswalks and at intersections.
- Before crossing, look left, right, then left again, and over your shoulder for turning vehicles.
- Never run into the street; always cross at the crosswalks or corners. When crossing at an intersection, check for vehicles turning the corner.
- Always walk on the sidewalk. If there are no sidewalks, pedestrians should walk facing traffic.
- Stay visible after dark and in bad weather with light-colored or reflective clothing.
- Make eye contact with drivers to be sure they are aware that you are crossing the street.
- Find safe places away from traffic for your child to play.
Keep Young Children Safe
- Watch young children closely. Hold your child’s hand when walking along the street or in parking lots.
- Toddlers are small and difficult for drivers to see, which puts them at greater risk of being backed over by vehicles.
- Children ages 1 to 4 years should never cross the street without an adult.
- Children ages 5 to 9 years old should still be supervised when walking along the street or in parking lots.
- Always have your child exit the vehicle on the side that is closest to the sidewalk or shoulder of the road.
- Avoid using the driveway as a "playground" and teach your children to never play around parked vehicles. If using the driveway as a place for kids to play, block the entrance to stop cars from pulling in.
- Supervise your children when playing in areas near parked motor vehicles and whenever a vehicle is to be moved. Never leave a child alone around parked cars!
- Make children aware that "parked" vehicles can soon become moving vehicles and just because they see the car, it doesn't mean that the driver of that car can see them.
Encourage Safety Near School Buses
If your child or teen takes the bus, they are still a pedestrian on the way to and from the bus stop. Teach them to:
- Always cross in front of the bus, never behind it.
- Take five large steps away from the front of the bus before attempting to cross.
- Make eye contact with the bus driver who will signal them when it is ok to start crossing.
- Step off the curb and walk only to the front edge of the bus when they receive the ok to cross. Look left, right, and left again. Only proceed to cross if traffic is clear or stopped.
What to Wear
- Children and teens should wear bright colored clothing or retro-reflective material designed to make pedestrians more visible. Bright or retro-reflective material is especially important if children or teens are walking at dusk, at night, or in bad weather.
Tips for Drivers
- Drivers should take a walk around their parked vehicle to ensure that no children are behind it before getting behind the wheel.
- Make sure children in the area are in sight before backing a vehicle out of a driveway or parking lot spot.
Safety Features of the Best Pedestrian-friendly Neighborhoods
- Sidewalks
- Physical barriers to separate pedestrians from the roadway - such as wide shoulders and strips of landscaping between the street and sidewalk
- “Traffic calming measures” - such as median barriers or speed bumps
- Crossing guards and speed enforcement zones
Related Information
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Center for Safe Routes to School
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- New York City Department of Transportation
- Data/Statistics
- New York State Department of Transportation
- New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee
- Safe Kids Worldwide