Remind Your Children Of Summer Safety

The time for summer safety is here! It is summer and schools are finishing up before the break. Since children will not be in school, many more of them will be in their neighborhood and outside playing.

It is important to remember that children are not “little adults,” and they often lack the ability or maturity to understand dangers in everyday familiar surroundings. That is why all motorists must drive with added caution and expect the unexpected when children may be near, especially when driving through neighborhoods.

Summer Vacation Is A Good Time To Remind Your Children To Be Careful Around The Roadway

The start of summer is a great time to remind your children of summer safety. They need to be careful when they are near or in a roadway. Be sure to reinforce these safety reminders:

1. Children should stay aware of where the roadway is and be careful before entering the street. Sometimes children are running and playing and forget they are near the road. At Joannou & Associates, we made a recovery for a young child who ran into the road when she was chasing after her brother. She was struck by a driver who was not paying attention and failed to see our young client.
2. Children should always stop and look both ways to be certain there are no vehicles approaching before they enter the roadway.
3. Children should not assume the driver of a vehicle has seen them, and should wait to enter the roadway until the vehicle passes or until the driver slows or stops for them.
4. Skateboards, roller skates, bicycles and driveways can be dangerous. Children are often unaware that motorists are unable to see them before they enter the roadway because of parked vehicles or other obstacles. Children should be extra careful around driveways.
5. Children should be extremely careful when entering the roadway from between two parked vehicles because the driver of an approaching vehicle may not see them.

Drivers Must Know That Children May Not Be As Aware Or Careful As Adults

A driver must keep a proper lookout when driving, which means the driver must see what a reasonable person would see under the circumstances. When it comes to children, especially younger children, a driver has a duty to consider that a child does not have the same maturity, impulse control, and awareness of danger as an adult.

As a result, children may put themselves in a dangerous situation by going out into the roadway when they should not. A driver must act as a reasonable person under the circumstances, and must be prepared for their unexpected action near the road.

Please Be Careful!

Teach your children about summer safety. Please have your children be careful and stay safe around roadways, please drive with extra care wherever children are near. Let’s all have a safe summer.