Do you know what means? It’s back to school season!
For many school districts in New Jersey, school has either started already or will be opening its doors in the next week or so. And that means we soon will start seeing yellow school buses on our streets, groups of children walking or riding their bikes to school. But it’s also a time that we have to be smart and make sure our children stay safe while going to school.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, of the estimated 69,000 pedestrians injured in 2011, 11,000 of those injured were age 14 and younger, and males accounted for 65% of those 11,000 injured. In fact, pedestrian accidents are the second leading cause of death in the U.S. for children between the ages of 5 and 14. And this is just walking to school! We’re not even talking about the accidents in the playground or at school.
So how can we keep our kids safe? Here’s a few safety tips to keep in mind when your children finally go back to school from the Safety Council:
- When crossing the street, always cross at the corners where there are traffic signals and designated crosswalks
- Try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them
- Always stay on the sidewalk. If there’s no sidewalks, walk facing the traffic
- Always look left, right, then left again before crossing the street
- Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars
If your child is injured in a pedestrian accident anywhere in New Jersey, we’re here to help. Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone now for a free consultation.