International Walk to School Day raises Awareness for Pedestrian Safety

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 18, 2013

Orlando personal injury attorneys would like to remind readers to be mindful of pedestrians, especially children, when they are driving in Central Florida. Students and student chaperones in Delray Beach recently observed International Walk to School Day to help area schoolchildren learn about pedestrian safety and how to look out for each other while they cross intersections and walk along busy roadways. One of the first things that the teenaged chaperones noticed as they escorted younger kids to school was that even when they had been warned to walk on the sidewalk, some of the elementary school students still wandered into the street.

The students from Pine Grove Elementary School were escorted by older students from Boca Raton High School’s Navy Junior ROTC program for the event. It was still dark when some of the kids began their walk to school, which illustrated the challenges and dangers that kids face as they cross unlighted intersections on their way to school. Although some intersections near the elementary school have crossing guards, many students have to negotiate city streets, busy intersections, driveways and other potential hazards on their own.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, an average of 61 children are struck by vehicles and injured while walking to school every day in the U.S. While that statistic is certainly sobering, fatal pedestrian accidents for school kids are down 53 percent since 1995. However, there has been an increase in teenaged school children injured in pedestrian accidents since that time. Safety experts cite the popularity of digital devices and the distractions they cause as the primary reason for the increase.

The kids participating in International Walk to School Day learned some important techniques for improving pedestrian safety, such as making eye contact with drivers while crossing the street, crossing only in crosswalks or at intersections, drivers’ blind spots, waiting for the Walk light and many others.

You don’t have to be an Orlando pedestrian accident lawyer to know that our area is a very dangerous place for pedestrians. As we all know, children sometimes forget the potential dangers of walking near busy roads and dash out into traffic without thinking. While events like International Walk to School Day help kids understand situational awareness, it is everyone’s responsibility to help prevent our kids from becoming pedestrian accident victims. When you’re running errands, driving to work and otherwise out and about, please turn off your cellphone and other distractions and be extra mindful of the safety of our kids.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.