The roadways in Southern California are used everyday to mobilize good, services, and people. Nearly every house is located at some proximity to a busy road, which can be deadly for children. What this means is that educating children about roadway safety is vital to giving them the knowledge to make smart decisions.   This knowledge could mean the difference between life and death when it comes to Southern California pedestrian accidents.

In 2008, there were 270 pedestrian fatalities in the 14 years and under demographic with a large majority of those fatalities occurring in the 8-14 year-old range.  During that same year, 64% of the fatalities were males. However, boys and girls are equally at risk of being injured in an accident.

The 2008 statistics also showed that an estimated 13,000 nonfatal injuries were incurred by young pedestrians, ages 14 years and younger. Most of these injuries and fatalities occurred between the hours of 4:00 pm and 7:59 pm. Some of the possible explanations for the prevalence of accidents during this time could be:
 
  • Children are just leaving school and may be walking home
  • There is waning light
  • Children are playing with friends in the road
  • Children do not understand proper road safety principles

Education is paramount to safeguarding youth and with a few simple guidelines your children can be well on their way to becoming better educated on how to keep themselves and their friends safe.
 
  • The first thing you must do is to teach your children that the road should never be used as a playground.
  • They must understand what can happen if a car hits someone. It is important to teach them to always look both ways before crossing the road and to only cross at the appropriate designated crossing zones.
  • Children need to be taught to respect the road and understand that it can be a dangerous place.

If your child has been hurt in a Southern California pedestrian accident, you may be able to recover compensation from the negligent driver. To find out if you have a case worth pursuing or if you need assistance with obtaining a fair settlement from an insurance company, contact an experienced Santa Monica car accident attorney at Steinberg Injury Lawyers at (800) 989-6385.



We represent clients in Los Angeles County, Riverside County, Ventura County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County and throughout California.
Peter Steinberg
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Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Since 1982