What's New!

There are Many Types of Pedestrians.

But…Let’s Talk about Children!

From the moment people take their first steps–and for every step after that–they will encounter various scenarios that require a unique focus for ensuring pedestrian safety. Concerns will continuously evolve as pedestrians navigate through the various stages of life.

Children and mature pedestrians are the most at risk for fatality and injury. According to a study of data from 2012, NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis found that children ages 15 and under accounted for 6 percent of pedestrian fatalities in 2012 and 18 percent of all pedestrians injured in traffic crashes. Data also shows that pedestrians ages 65 and older accounted for an additional 20 percent of pedestrian fatalities.

Keeping Children Educated and Supervised

Because children mature at different rates, parents should consider walking to school with them until they can fully comprehend the rules of the road (usually around age 10). Walking your children to school provides opportunities to teach them important pedestrian safety practices and the rules of the road. Some key points to help keep children safe:

  Look left, look right and look left again. This pedestrian rule has been passed down through generations and has not lost its importance or lifesaving value. Stop in a safe place before entering a roadway and practice looking both ways before crossing the street.

  Make eye contact with drivers who appear to be letting you cross the street. Never assume the driver has seen you. This allows the driver a chance to children and let them pass or provides children the opportunity to wait if the driver has not seen them.

  When exiting or approaching a school bus, make eye contact with the bus driver and wait for acknowledgment before crossing in front. Always maintain at least 10 feet from the front, back and sides of the bus.

  Always use your eyes and ears to know what is going on around you. Your vision and hearing work together, providing the best defense for safety. Do not use headphones or play with handheld devices when crossing the street.

  Whenever possible, stay on sidewalks and use marked crosswalks.

  Never run out into the street, regardless of what you are chasing after. Even if a ball has unexpectedly entered a roadway, you still must follow all the rules of crossing the street in order to retrieve it. Be sure to look left, right and left again before entering the roadway.

 Watching Out for Children

• Children are the most unpredictable of all pedestrians.  They are also the smallest and most uneducated.
• Be prepared when in neighborhoods or driving by parks. Children can unexpectedly run out into the street.
• Be vigilant when backing out of driveways and turning onto residential streets, children can be playing in hard to see places.
• Always stop when a school bus has its stop sign out.  Unless you are on a divided highway, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus that has its stop sign out. If you are on the other side of a divided highway, still use caution as there are children around.

AAA Programs

AAA has been proactively involved in child pedestrian safety with programs like AAA’s School Safety Patrol. This program teaches children about traffic safety principles and allows them opportunities to share that knowledge with peers. Patrollers assist in helping other students cross streets safely and serve as student leaders within their schools. This is a school-sponsored program that is deeply invested in the safety and education of communities it serves. Learn more about the AAA School Safety Patrol program.

School’s Open – Drive Carefully Campaign

In 1946, AAA created the School’s Open – Drive Carefully campaign. It has successfully created driver awareness of school-aged pedestrians for nearly 70 years. Learn more about AAA’s School’s Open – Drive Carefully campaign.

https://exchange.aaa.com/safety/pedestrian-safety/types-pedestrians/#.X2I0f2hKhPa