About the Issue of Child Pedestrian Safety
In recent years, the traffic-related pedestrian death rate among children ages 14
and under has declined significantly. In large part, this decline can be attributed
to decreased traffic exposure, as children are walking less often.
However, pedestrian injury remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related
death among children ages 5 to 14, claiming the lives of 599 children in 2003 alone.
In 2004, more than 38,400 children were treated in emergency rooms for pedestrian-related
injuries.
While the majority of pedestrian deaths and injuries are traffic-related, children
from birth to age 2 are more likely to suffer non-traffic-related pedestrian injuries,
including those
occurring in driveways, in parking lots and on sidewalks.
Although pedestrian injuries are not as common as motor vehicle occupant injuries,
a disproportionate number of the injuries sustained by child pedestrians are severe.
Children are particularly vulnerable to pedestrian death because they are exposed
to traffic threats that exceed their cognitive, developmental, behavioral, physical
and sensory abilities. This is exacerbated by the fact that parents often
overestimate their children’s pedestrian skills.
Children are impulsive and have difficulty judging speed, spatial relations, and
distance. Auditory and visual acuity, depth perception and proper scanning
ability develop gradually and do not fully mature until at least age 10.
Who We Are
The Safe Kids St. Louis Coalition is happy that you
chose to visit our site. We work hard to provide injury prevention for children
ages 0-14 in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County, Franklin County,
and Washington County. We collaborate with many agencies to make sure that children
in our area are safe. Please visit the portions that interest you and let us know
if we can be of assistance.
What We Do
Safe Kids Worldwide promotes changes in attitudes, behaviors, laws and the environment
to prevent accidental injury to children. In the United States, we have contributed
to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from accidental injury –
saving an estimated 38,000 children’s lives. Canada achieved
a 37 percent reduction in child accidental deaths between 1994 and 2003, while the
German child death rate declined 80 percent since 1980 and 75 percent in Austria
between 1983 and 2003. We’ve distributed more than 2.5 million bike helmets
and 250,000 smoke alarms and checked more than 740,000 car seats.
Upcoming Events
(See Calendar Page For More Details)