Teaching kids about pedestrian safety is important for their safety, but for many kids with disabilities, it can be extra challenging.
Here are some tips that will help you keep your child safe while they’re on the road.
Article Contents
- 1 Pedestrian Safety
- 2 Be sure there’s a clear understanding between both sides of the crossing.
- 3 Make sure the crosswalk signal is operational and working correctly.
- 4 Teach kids to pay attention to traffic.
- 5 Don’t assume that drivers see you or your child.
- 6 Know who takes precedence at an intersection.
- 7 Make sure your child knows what to do if he or she falls on or drops something near or in a street or parking lot.
- 8 Consider teaching your child how to use and maintain mobility equipment
- 9 There are easy ways to teach kids how to stay safe while walking and crossing the street.
- 10 Conclusion
Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian safety is a topic that can be challenging for kids with disabilities. For example, some may have trouble following directions, seeing and hearing well, walking or moving quickly (which makes it harder for them to cross the street), or even crossing their own path.
The first step in teaching pedestrian safety is figuring out what your child needs from you as a parent or guardian.
You’ll want to make sure that you’re setting up opportunities for your child to practice his/her skills so he or she will feel confident about making safe choices when crossing streets later on in life!
Be sure there’s a clear understanding between both sides of the crossing.
There’s a lot to think about when you’re crossing the street with your kids. You need to make sure that everyone understands who has the right of way, what each person is responsible for, and how they should respond if they are involved in an accident.
Here are some tips:
- Make sure there’s a clear understanding between both sides of the crossing. This can be tricky if someone has disabilities because it often takes some time before someone can learn these things on their own. If this applies to your child, talk with his or her teacher or therapist about this issue so he or she doesn’t feel alone during school recesses and lunch breaks; otherwise, try having regular lessons focused solely on teaching them how crosswalks work (see below).
- When walking through intersections where traffic lights show red at night or on rainy days then stay put until traffic slows down enough for pedestrians – even if drivers honk at them! It’s important not only because cars might run over them but also because most people don’t realize that stopping signs aren’t just used when cars approach–they mean stop EVERYONE!
Make sure the crosswalk signal is operational and working correctly.
There are a few things to keep in mind when crossing the street. First, ensure that the crosswalk signal is working properly and that it’s green for you to walk across.
If there’s no light at all or if it’s red for cars but not for pedestrians, then you’ll have to wait until another pedestrian pushes the button or crosses over before proceeding with your own crossing attempt.
Second, make sure there aren’t any other lights, signs, or signals that could confuse pedestrians like traffic signals, stop signs, and so on—especially if they’re all facing in different directions!
This can be especially confusing for children who might not understand what they mean by “right turn ahead!”
Teach kids to pay attention to traffic.
One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to teach your child to pay attention to traffic.
This means looking both ways before crossing streets, being aware of cars at all times, and learning how to cross safely even if it means waiting for the light to change or traveling at a red light.
You should also help your child understand that drivers may not see them when looking for other vehicles and pedestrians.
Finally, by teaching them about the importance of remaining alert at all times—even when they are in their own neighborhood—you will be helping them stay safe from harm’s way!
Don’t assume that drivers see you or your child.
You may be thinking that drivers will see your child and stop for them. Or, you may be thinking that they’ll yield to your child by slowing down or changing lanes. But what if they don’t?
The reality is that most people aren’t aware of the needs of disabled pedestrians, so they have no idea how to react if they encounter one on the road.
Suppose a driver doesn’t see you or doesn’t know how to merge into traffic safely. In that case, it could result in serious injury or even death for both parties involved—especially if there is an intersection nearby where someone else can watch out for your safety (and yours).
Know who takes precedence at an intersection.
- Know who takes precedence at an intersection.
- Drivers must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, but only if they have the right of way.
- Drivers must yield to pedestrians in the middle of a street, even if they’re not crossing it at that moment.
- If a driver is turning left and sees someone walking along the side of the road on their way forward, they cannot pass them until they’ve stopped moving (or until they decide not to).
Make sure your child knows what to do if he or she falls on or drops something near or in a street or parking lot.
If your child falls and you don’t know what to do, follow these safety tips:
- Get up and brush yourself off. It’s essential that children learn how to handle themselves if they are hurt or injured. This helps them feel more confident when it comes time for them to work with others on their own.
- If they drop something valuable (like an expensive toy), find out where it lands so that someone else can pick it up later on. Be sure not to let your child touch any of the items involved in this process!
- If all else fails, ask a parent or adult who can help retrieve their lost item(s).
Consider teaching your child how to use and maintain mobility equipment
It is important to teach your child how to use the right equipment and maintain it. This will help ensure that they have a safe place in which to travel, which will also help them feel more confident about using the streets as well.
You can start by teaching your child how to use their walker or wheelchair, but make sure that you are using the correct size of the device for them.
It’s also important for children with disabilities who learn differently from others (this could include visual learners) so they don’t get frustrated if they can’t figure out something quickly.
Once they’ve mastered this skill set, then start teaching them other ways around town where there might be obstacles such as stairs or curbs along the way that might trip up an adult trying their best not to fall down while walking down stairs or over curbs without falling over first!
There are easy ways to teach kids how to stay safe while walking and crossing the street.
- You should be aware of your surroundings. If you are walking with a child and he or she falls, it is important that you know what to do in this situation.
- Pay attention to traffic
Children can sometimes get distracted by things around them, so it’s up to the parents or guardians to keep an eye out for their safety and well-being at all times.
Keep an eye on where your child is going and make sure they’re paying attention while crossing streets or parking lots. This will help prevent accidents from happening in front of other drivers who may not see them due to distractions (such as talking).
- Don’t assume drivers see children crossing streets either! As mentioned above, there are many factors that influence how much time someone spends looking at something like this; however if one were driving down a busy street full of pedestrians wearing bright clothing then chances are good that these individuals would not be the top priority during any given moment.”
Conclusion
We hope this guide has provided some helpful advice to parents and caregivers who are concerned about the safety of their kids while walking or crossing the street. We know that there’s a lot that goes into making sure these children feel safe outside, but with a little preparation and planning, it can be done!