Keep you and your kids safe as pedestrians

Picture by JESHOOTS.com

It's possible that we may not as be conscious about how important being safe when walking along/across the road is until we are made aware of an awful accident. For some of us, using the paths/roads as a pedestrian may even be something we tend to do on auto-pilot. Some of us may even silently presume that drivers on the road will always try for the most part to keep themselves, other road users and pedestrians safe. However, just as pedestrians may act on auto-pilot, the same is true for drivers who may have passed their driving test a long time ago, and may not be completely focused when driving. Unfortunately resting our safety on other road users is what contributes to millions of deaths caused by car accidents each year. To keep your family and you safe on the road, let’s go back to the beginning of road safety to learn how we can best protect ourselves and little ones from the road dangers.

High Visibility

To keep you and your family safe while walking on the sidewalk make yourselves as visible as possible. Which means for nighttime walks, wear fluorescent/reflective clothing to alert car users of your presence. Always stay on the sidewalk if you can, however, if you need to walk on the road, it’s advised to walk facing oncoming cars so that you may see vehicles driving towards you and your family, and move out the way when necessary.

Look Both Ways

A simple step that’s often overlooked is looking left and right when crossing the road. When you are with your younger ones, instigate that they must look left and right a few times when crossing the street and explain why this is important. Some oncoming cars can be deceptively quiet, meaning depending on your hearing is not always enough to get you and your family to the other side of the road safely.

Limit technology

A reoccurring issue with both drivers and pedestrians is the avid use of technology bombarding the senses, making us incapable of being completely focused and aware of what is going on around us as we walk. If you’re walking down the sidewalk, keep your senses alive to any hazards or imminent danger by putting away the mobile and removing your earbuds. This can also be taught to your younger children to prevent them from relying solely on your eyes and ears to get them somewhere safe while walking.

Hold Hands

If the sidewalk is big enough for you and your child to stand side by side, you can hold hands to reduce the risk of them running off or being distracted by something that’s blown into the road that they’re insistent on following. Holding your children’s hands when walking could help to keep them safe as vehicles are driving past you all.

Follow And Teach The Road Signals

It’s essential to follow road signs, such as pedestrian crossings, however, don't solely depend on these signs to provide you with complete safety. When approaching a crossing, for instance, it's advised to still look left and right and left again to see whether the cars approaching are going to stop. By losing a sense of dependency on other drivers for yours and your family’s safety, you can begin to protect and teach your children how to pre-empt road dangers that could transpire.

A parents main job in life is to keep their children alive by protecting them from danger but also to teach them skills independent of you to practice taking care of themselves. In doing so, you can do your part to help prevent a terrible car accident following the need to contact personal injury lawyers due to your or your family enduring an unfortunate accident. Teaching road safety could be an essential skill that protects and saves your children from harm from a young age, which is why it's so important to follow the tips above.