Preventing Tennessee Pedestrian Accidents Involving Children

Children have a high risk of being injured in pedestrian accidents. Every year, thousands of young victims are injured or killed in these crashes, which is tragic because most of them can be prevented.

You may have heard the following scenarios involving children and cars –

• A child darts into a neighborhood street to retrieve a soccer ball or other object.
• A young bicyclist tries to cross the street in front of a car.
• An SUV backs up and does not see the child behind the vehicle.
• A car doesn’t stop when a school bus is unloading and a child runs into the street.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the scenarios above are some of the most common types of pedestrian crashes. There are some things that parents and caregivers can do to help prevent child injury and death from Tennessee pedestrian accidents.

• Teach your child the proper way to cross the street. Inform your children that they should cross at the corner or at an intersection and must look left-right-left before walking into the street. They should walk and not run and always be alert to any oncoming cars.

• Talk about where they should walk. Your children should be taught that they must walk on the sidewalk at all times. However, if there is no sidewalk available, they should walk facing traffic.

• Be a role model. Children watch their parents and caregivers to see how they should behave. If your children watch you cross the street safely, they will most likely mimic your actions and vice versa.

• Explain the importance of safety. Instead of just telling your children to not cross the street without an adult, you should explain why. They need to understand that cars can be dangerous and that they need to be on alert.

• Always supervise young children. Preschoolers should never be allowed to cross the street without an adult and should be supervised at all times. Young children tend to not comprehend the dangers around them and may make life threatening decisions.

If your child has been injured in a Tennessee pedestrian accident, you need to contact a Nashville injury attorney at Phillip Miller & Associates at 1-800-337-HURT (4878) or 1-615-356-2000 immediately.

Phillip Miller & Associates
631 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 356-2000
Fax: (615) 242-1739
Toll Free: (800) 337-HURT
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