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Pedestrian safety for kids and parents

Children are very valuable - and very active - members of communities. Being struck by a car is a leading cause of death and injury to children.  The greatest risk is to children 5-9 years of age and occurs in their own neighborhoods.

Children can be difficult to protect since they lack the skills and experience that most adults have come to take for granted.  Children have little or no sense of danger.  They tend to be impulsive and don’t take the time to stop and think about safety, and children may also have a difficult time judging the speed of approaching cars.  Their smaller stature also makes them harder for motorists to see. Adults need to take special care to teach children how to behave safely when around automobile traffic. Supervision is crucial through age nine.

Motorists are also responsible for child pedestrian safety. Slow down in school zones, near parks and pools and in neighborhoods where children are present.  Parents dropping off children at school are a major threat to walking children and to those leaving other motor vehicles and school buses. Stay cautious after dropping off your own child.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is concerned about pedestrian safety and its efforts to directly impact the safety of children include sponsorship of:

• Community programs such as School Zone Safety
• Providing grants to communities for pedestrian law enforcement projects and pedestrian safe communities projects

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Photo on this page courtesy of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Questions about the content of this page:
Larry Corsi, larry.corsi@dot.state.wi.us
Last modified: September 21, 2005