|
Back
to Topic Index
Pedestrian Safety Tip Card
Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet
 Pedestrian
Pedestrian safety is an integral part of making
your community a safer, healthier place to live.Children are the
most common pedestrians and also the group that is most at risk
for pedestrian-related injury and death. It is as important as ever
for children to be physically active. They do, however, need safe
places to walk and play.
Virginia Pedestrian Statistics 2003
- There were 118 pedestrian deaths in 2003. A majority (86%) had
motor vehicle involvement.
- About 75% of deaths were males and males were three times more
likely to die in a pedestrian MVT accident than females.
- There were 290 hospital discharges related to pedestrian injuries.
- Motor vehicles were involved in 87% of cases
- Fractures were the most common injury (66% of cases) TBI occurred
in 20% of cases.
- The average length of stay was 7 days, the median charge for
an episode of care was $17,413.
- A private payer was the expected source of payment in 54% of
cases, the government in 31%.
Pedestrian Safety Tips
- Begin to teach and practice pedestrian safety with young children,
but remember that young children need constant adult supervision
around traffic. Children under the age of 10 should not cross
the street alone.
- Children should be taught to:
- Learn and obey traffic signals and signs.
- Cross the street at corners using traffic signals and crosswalks.
- Never run out between parked cars or in the middle of the
block.
- Always look LEFT, RIGHT and LEFT again before crossing the
street.
- Walk on the sidewalk, when possible.
- Walk facing traffic.
- Always watch for cars.
- Wear bright clothing.
- Hold hands with an adult in parking lots.
- Never run out in the street for any reason.
- Play in safe places away from the street.
- Never play in the driveway.
- Be alert!
School Bus Safety
The school bus is one of the safest forms of highway transportation.
However, getting on and off the school bus is often the most dangerous
portion of the school bus ride. It is important to remember pedestrian
safety before and after the school bus ride.
Avoid the "Danger Zone"! The "danger zone"
is the 10-foot area on all sides of the bus where children are in
the most danger of not being seen. Children should be taught to
always avoid walking in this area.
Parents should:
- Walk young children to the bus stop.
- Arrive five minutes before the bus comes so you do not have
to rush.
- Secure loose drawstrings or shoelaces that may get caught on
the hand rail or door.
Children Should:
- Stand at least 10 feet or 5 giant steps from the road while
waiting for the bus.
- Never run, push or shove by the bus stop.
- Get on only when the bus is completely stopped.
- Always hold the handrail getting on and off the bus.
- Get on and off the bus without pushing.
- Stay out of the "Danger Zone".
- Cross the street in front of the bus, never behind.
- Cross the street 10 feet in front of the bus, keeping eye contact
with the driver.
- Stop at the edge of the bus and look left, right and left again
for passing cars.
- Tell the bus driver if something drops near the bus, never bend
down near or under the bus.
- Be Alert!
Motorist Should:
- Be aware it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus.
- Follow a school bus at a safe distance.
- Slow down when a bus has yellow flashing lights indicating that
the bus is preparing to
stop to load or unload children.
- Stop when a bus has red flashing lights indicating that children
are getting on or off the bus.
- After stopping, begin to move only when the bus's red flashing
lights have stopped or the stop arm is removed.
- Slow down in areas where children are waiting for the school
bus.
- Be Alert! Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the
street.
Walk Smart Virginia is a statewide
pedestrian safety project aimed at reducing the number of pedestrian
related child fatalities and injuries. This project is focused on
the school community to assist in developing safe, walkable environments
where children can walk and bike to school and in their communities.
Resources
Pedestrian
Injury in the Washington DC Metropolitan Region
CIVP has made the following pedestrian safety materials available
for download. You are welcome to download the below material and
share with your community. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
- Walk Smart, Virginia! Brochure: This brochure offers
safety tips for teaching children behavior when walking around
traffic, playing near roadways and being safe at a bus stop. Available
in English
and Spanish.
- Walk Smart, Virginia! Poster: This poster lists pedestrian
safety tips. Available in English
and Spanish.
- Walk Smart, Virginia! Toolkit: Much of the information
on this Web site is compiled into a very useful packet for educators.
Available with English
and Spanish
reproducible sheets.
To request these and other pedestrian safety materials use the
ONLINE
ORDER FORM or print the FAX
ORDER FORM and fax to 804-864-7748.
Visit http://www.vahealth.org/civp/pubscivp.asp
to view and order tip cards on this and other injury and violence
prevention topics.
For more information of pedestrian safety
visit the following organizations:
|
Resources
for Health Providers
Resources
for Schools
Resources for Parents
