It’s the good old summertime, and state, local and school programs want to make sure it’s the safe old summertime for children-whether they’re walking, playing or bicycling.
The goal of programs such as Safety Town for preschoolers and bicycle rodeos for older kids is to reduce the number of children injured or killed in accidents and plant the seeds of traffic safety.
There are a lot of factors to consider in promoting child safety. They lack traffic experience. Playful and unfocused, they are shorter with a more restricted field of vision than adults. Perception problems can arise when judging the distance, speed or sound of approaching vehicles. Traffic vocabulary and signals can confuse them.
Many children don’t know their right hand from their left, making directions difficult. Add in the fact that a child’s fantasy world often intermingles with reality, and their actions can create a hit-or-miss situation.
“Education must begin at home,” says Secretary of State George H. Ryan. “Adults often forget they are role models for children. Whether it’s crossing a street or riding a bicycle, parents should know the rules and make sure their kids know them, too.”
To enhance that education at home, Ryan’s office offers a Pedestrian Safety Program for kids, as well as a miniature Safety Town for preschoolers through 4th graders and Bicycle Rodeos for 3rd- through 8th-grade children that discuss traffic safety laws and rules.
Then there’s Walk Alert, a National Pedestrian Safety Program, and the AAA-Chicago Motor Club’s School Safety Patrol and Substance Abuse and Traffic Safety Programs for children in kindergarten through high school. The National Safety Council, Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and more than 1,200 service and community organizations also get into the child safety act.
These programs offer learning materials, coloring books and safety tips. Parents are encouraged to review them with their children. Besides protecting children, the idea is that by learning traffic safety rules early, the kids will become “expert motorists.”
Carol Freyman, education coordinator at Children’s World Learning Center in Schaumburg, advises parents to be careful of their actions, as well as review safety materials that children bring home. “At this age, reinforcement is what they need. If you talk about safety only one day, it’s not going to mean anything to them.”
Despite such safety campaigns, the 1992 edition of the National Safety Council’s Accident Facts indicates that more than half of all pedestrian deaths and injuries occur when pedestrian cross and enter streets. More than one-third occur between intersections, with 48 percent involving children ages 5 to 9. The number of pedal-cyclists has increased thirteenfold since 1940, and with that the death rate has risen. In 1991, children up to age 14 accounted for 42 percent of 800 bicycling fatalities.
“You will see parents dragging their children across a roadway in a fairly heavy traffic situation or other adults doing dangerous things and getting away with it. This doesn’t give youngsters a good impression about proper safety behavior. Of course, younger people see accidents occur so rarely that this may also give them the impression that this safety thing is overdone,” notes Sam Yachsich, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington, D.C.
The kids’ exuberance doesn’t help, either. “When children become engrossed in something or involved with their friends, they lose all respect for the environment around them,” says Yachsich. “They also do things at a rapid and more dangerous pace. Younger children, ages 5 to 9, have the highest involvement in pedestrian accidents. It’s the age group that rarely walks but runs. They move in and out of traffic situations such as between parked cars. Because they’re moving faster and they’re small, they’re more difficult for motorists to see.”
Cartoons and films are cited for coloring a child’s reality. Take the Road Runner, whose nemesis Wile E. Coyote gets steamrollered regularly yet bounces back to life.
“Children grow up in a fantasy world where they don’t understand injury and danger seen in films such as people falling, getting in accidents or getting shot,” Yachsich says. “Very often they don’t see or feel the consequences of those accidents. It’s only when someone very close to them is involved that they get any idea of the seriousness or pain of an accident.”
Though Yachsich notes that size and height affects the judgment of small children, he also sees an increase in teenage pedestrian accidents. In 1990, the latest figures available, Accident Facts reported that 45 percent of the pedestrian accidents resulting in injury or death involved teenagers 15 through 19.
“We can’t figure out why,” he says. “Generally by the time children are in high school, their pedestrian accident experience has peaked and they’ve shown general improvement. But the stats show that junior high school age is another very complex time for them, with changes going on within themselves or their social environment.”
But the problems are not limited to pedestrians. In 1990, the National Safety Council reported that some 40,000 bicyclists suffer disabling injuries every year. Though many pedestrian traffic and safety rules apply to bicyclists, the two differ.
“We’ve been telling kids to walk on the left facing traffic,” Yachsich says. “This way, they can see approaching traffic and take necessary steps if they have to walk off the pavement. Well, many children who bicycle on the road follow that same rule. But they must do the opposite-ride with traffic just like a car. If they are riding on the wrong side of the road, they are more likely to be hit.”
Out of 46 sports surveyed by the National Sporting Goods Association in Mt. Prospect, bicycling is the third most popular in the U.S. (behind exercise walking and swimming), with 53.97 million participants; 38 percent are younger than 17.
In an attempt to make the cyclists more responsible, the AAA-Chicago Motor Club’s Bicycle Safety Program labels them “drivers,” rather than “riders.”
While cycling, children are urged to wear helmets to protect against head injury, and Yachsich believes more kids are doing so. “It’s a carryover of wearing seat belts and understanding this need for safety.”
Last year the secretary of state’s office conducted 900 bike rodeos, working with police departments, community organizations and bicycle shops.
Liz Hagar, manager of program development for the secretary of state’s traffic safety division, says instructors emphasize that “a bike is not a toy-it’s a responsibility.”
Bicyclists, be they adults or children, must obey all traffic rules and laws in Illinois. “We tell them not to ride a bike at night. Our message (for the little kids) is to stay off the streets,” adds Hagar.
The Buffalo Grove Police Department holds the Bicycle Rodeo twice a year, right before school lets out. Children, ages 5 through 16, are put through a mock road course that begins with a bike inspection. They are tested on maneuvering, balance, speed and stopping skills, as well as traffic applications. Prizes are awarded for those who score high.
Buffalo Grove Police Cpl. Scott Kristiansen says the village has seen accidents decline in the five years it has used the program. He says many children have been found “riding on the wrong side of the street or in the middle of the roadway, ignoring traffic control devices such as stop signs and not looking when they cross the street.”
Yet, side streets and parking lots are as much a threat to children as main streets, because there the children “are less cognizant of motor vehicles and pedestrian traffic,” says Kristiansen.
The village stresses parent education. “Kids will look to their parents for guidance. If they (parents) tend to ignore certain traffic laws, their kids will, too,” adds Kristiansen.
Don’t underestimate a properly fitting bike. “If a child is put on a bike that is too big or too small, this can create a hazards to their health,” says Hagar. “It’s harder for them to ride. They don’t have the balance or skills to manipulate in traffic. The height of the seat is very important, too, so the kid is properly positioned to reach the pedals. Handlebars need to be straight and tight, gears oiled and working, and tires properly inflated.”
Traffic safety training for children doesn’t stop with tips for pedestrians and bicyclists, as evidenced by the growing number of in-line skaters and skateboarders.
According to the National Sporting Goods Association figures, in 1990-91, in-line skating participation doubled to 7.3 million from 3.6 million people. Almost 68 percent of the total are 17 and younger. Sales of skates also tripled.
Mary Haugen, spokeswoman for The Rollerblade Inc., a leading maker of in-line skates based in Minneapolis, states: “With skaters of any skill level, we are recommending protective equipment, the basics being knee pads and wrist guards. Helmets are strongly recommended. But skaters must observe the rules of the road and use common courtesy. When passing someone, give them enough room. Don’t hog up the pass. The basic courtesy applies, just the same as it would for walking and running.”
She encourages beginners to start in a flat area, free of traffic and take along an experienced skater to demonstrate the basics, which include balancing and using the brakes.
Of the more than 8 million people who participate in skakeboarding, 80 percent are younger than 17 and most of those are boys. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that more than 80,000 people need emergency-room treatment each year for skateboarding-related injuries; fractures are typical, and deaths have resulted from collisions with motor vehicles and falls.
Larry Weindruch, spokesman for the National Sporting Goods Association, says: “All of the safety gear worn for in-line skating would be perfect for skateboarders-particularly if the person is more advanced and is going to be trying tricks.
“Kids shouldn’t try to do the real elaborate moves or tricks like jumping curbs until they are confident enough to turn corners and make stops without losing their balance,” he adds.
