If your child walks to school, make sure their route is safe while crossing Florida streets.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, pedestrian injury is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children ages 5 to 14 in the United States.

If your child walks to school, make sure their route is safe. Check out the route yourself to evaluate dangers, such as hazardous sidewalks that force detours into the street, overgrown trees that obscure visibility, or threatening dogs that might alter a route. Is there sidewalk the whole route? Will there be crossing guards at intersections? Is there ample pedestrian room at a safe distance from Florida roadways? What about daylight? Depending on the time of year and after-school activities, it might not be fully light out when they’re walking.

Parents often overestimate the street-crossing abilities of their children. Is your child old enough to accurately judge distance and speed? Does he/she have the focus and awareness of their surroundings necessary to maximize their safety?

Florida school buses come into play as well. Children may have a bit of a walk to the bus stop, so the previously mentioned factors come into play, as well as some new ones—namely, boarding and exiting the bus.

Make sure your child has plenty of time to get to the bus stop. When your child is rushing, their focus may be sacrificed and mistakes can happen. Kids should never move toward the bus until it has completely stopped and the door opens. When they exit the bus, they should only walk in front of the bus, staying in the driver’s view. If a student drops something, they should notify the driver before retrieving it.

Experience Counts in Orlando Pedestrian Accident Cases

If your child is injured while traveling to or from a school, you should contact an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney.