PDA

View Full Version : Traffic Safety for Toddlers


Dream
09-22-2008, 07:54 AM
Every year, nearly 2,500 children are seriously injured or killed after being hit by a car in a driveway or parking area and nearly half of those children are between the ages of 1 and 4.
Do Not Allow Toddlers to Play Near Parked Cars

Toddlers need to be taught early on that cars can be dangerous. It only takes a split second for an accident to happen. Never allow your toddler to play near parked cars or in areas where cars may enter without warning such as a driveway or parking lot.
Hold your toddler’s hand when walking in a parking lot and don’t walk directly behind parked cars. You never know when a driver will back up without warning.
Walk Around Your Car Before Backing Up

Get into the habit of taking a quick walk around your car before backing out of your driveway. This will give you a clear view of any children that are nearby. The nationwide “Spot the Tot” program has made an effort to educate drivers about the importance of checking for children near a vehicle before backing up.
Be Observant Around Driveway Crossings

Toddlers are often taught that it is safe to stay on the sidewalk in an effort to keep them away from busy streets, but driveway crossings on the sidewalk can be a dangerous place. Teach your toddler to look both ways before crossing a driveway on the sidewalk and never stop to play on a driveway.
Talk to your Toddler About Car Safety

Toddlers often assume that adults will always watch out for them, even when they are behind the wheel of a car. This is a dangerous assumption to make, especially when you are dealing with a large vehicle with blind spots and small toddlers who are difficult to see. Let your toddler know that drivers often can’t see him if he is too close to the car. As a parent, be sure and provide plenty of supervision when your toddler is playing in an area with moving or parked cars.
Cars are a part of our everyday life but they can be a huge safety hazard for toddlers and young children. Many accidents happen when a loved one, unintentionally, backs over a toddler in a driveway. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to check for toddlers before backing out of your driveway and educate your toddler as best you can to prevent an accident.


http://infantstoddlers.suite101.com/article.cfm/traffic_safety_for_toddlers

Dawn
09-22-2008, 10:56 PM
Thanks for the article! I am in the process of teaching my 2 year old about car/parking lot safety. He tried to sprint away from me this afternoon in the parking lot....OMG....I had a little talk with him there and made my DH have one with him when we got home so he understands the seriousness of it.

Dream
09-22-2008, 10:59 PM
Been there done that in a parking lot. :hug2:It is so scary when they just dart like that.

bzymomof4
09-23-2008, 12:24 AM
When we go for walks, the older two buddy up with the younger two and they hold hands while we play "stop and go" Where they get to go to the next driveway, tree, mailbox, whatever, and then they have to stop and wait for me to catch up then we all look three times and then go to the next marker. :shrug: its worked for us so far...

TNVols
09-25-2008, 12:33 AM
My 4 year old is the worst about this. He absolutely knows the rules/dangers, etc. he just doesn't seem to care. He lives in his own little world (and I don't mean that in a hateful mean way) that he has zero situational awareness. He is so bad about taking off but the second we remind him he stops, waits on us and does what is necessary to cross the street. Our other son, who just turned two on the 5th, hasn't been given the opportunity to run away in the parking lot. He has run away inside a store with us at his heels that we have to talk to him about but not outside yet.

Be Observant Around Driveway Crossings

Toddlers are often taught that it is safe to stay on the sidewalk in an effort to keep them away from busy streets, but driveway crossings on the sidewalk can be a dangerous place. Teach your toddler to look both ways before crossing a driveway on the sidewalk and never stop to play on a driveway.

This, for some reason, I have never even considered. Thanks for posting this because it absolute makes sense and I am aware of it but do it unconsciously so it never occurred to me to think to teach the boys about this.

Great reminders!

leo_jess
09-25-2008, 12:37 AM
Very informative, thank you for posting! How scary though. Can you imagine if you were the one to hit your own child? I saw that on the news earlier this year. I don't know how you'd ever get over that, IF you could. Not at all if it was fatal.

3babesandadad
09-28-2008, 09:16 AM
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/musician_steven_curtis_chapman.html

Musician Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter killed in accident

by Terry DeBoer | The Grand Rapids Press Thursday May 22, 2008, 4:53 PM


http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/05/large_Chapman-family.jpg
Tucker PhotographyThe Chapman family: From left, Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaohannah, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily Chapman.

West Michigan Christian music fans are expressing their sympathy for Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman after the death of his 5-year-old daughter in an accident Wednesday in the family's driveway.
"We opened up the phone lines and people called in and wanted to pray right over the air," said Troy West, morning show co-host on contemporary Christian music radio station WJQK-FM (99).

Maria Sue Chapman was struck by a car driven by one of her teenage brothers, according to authorities in Franklin, Tenn., who added they believe no charges will result from what they termed "a tragic accident."

The child died 10 days after her fifth birthday. Chapman's manager, Jim Houser, also noted in a Web site posting (http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/) the family had been hours away from hosting a high school graduation party for their son Caleb when the accident occurred.
Maria was the youngest of three Chinese girls the family had adopted, two of them through the the Nashville, Tenn., office of Bethany Christian Services. Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, also have three biological children -- two teenage sons and a 21-year-old daughter.



It can happen to ANYONE