Child pedestrian tragedies are close to home

Traffic Calming to Keep Kids Safe Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children between 11 and 14 in 2010 in the U.S. Why so many fatalities? In 2010, 83% of the pedestrian fatalities among the 14-and-younger age group happened at areas that weren't intersections. That's a 10% increase from 73% in 2009. Kids engage in risky behavior when they dart out in the middle of a block, dash across intersections, or get down from buses. Toddlers (1 to 2 year olds) are the age group most likely to be injured in 'non-traffic locations and situations, especially driveway backovers. Their inexperience, devéloping mínds and small sizes are factors that make them susceptible to injury. Signs can save lives What Can We Do? CAUTION CHILDREN The upside is that children are 50% lėss likely to be hit and injured by cars in a neighborhood with traffic-calming devices (devices used to slow down traffic). Signs, speed bumps, and other traffic management tools will make a huge difference in saving the lives of children. CHILDREN AT PLAY AT PLAY SmartSign Data from CDC.gov, Conservation tools.org and ncbi.nlm.nih.gov