When Children Pose a Danger to Themselves

In Traffic

MANY children love rushing home the moment the school bell goes. But in their haste they can become semi-conscious of the traffic around them and in the process become accident victims. Therefore, teaching children proper road sense, especially when crossing, is so important.

How often have we seen children simply running straight across the street, instead of crossing at a scholar patrol or other safe spots? They seem to pay little or no attention to oncoming traffic as they make their dash. Hastiness and inattentiveness are the two main causes of accidents involving pedestrians.

Drivers of school buses should also be told of the dangers in stopping on the opposite side of a school to drop passengers. Where possible, bus drivers, and also parents who transport their children, should stop on the same side as the school. This does away with the need for children to cross a street to get to school.

Even if a driver brakes quickly to avoid a child racing across his path, it must be remembered that the vehicle will not stop immediately.

Travelling in a car

• Don’t fidget, bump or push each other in a car. Any movement or sound that distracts a driver can lead to an accident
• Do not stick your head or arms out of windows while the vehicle is moving
• Do not play with anything that can flap in the wind such as balloons, strips of paper or small windmills
• Remember to wear a set belt even on short trips. Its use is compulsory in South Africa. Passengers in the back seat, should also buckle up
• Do not play on the back seat or block the driver’s view of the rear
• Do not fiddle with door handles. There have been cases of children falling out of vehicles through doors that have flung open
• It is dangerous to have toys made from metal or hard plastic in vehicles. In the event of an accident, such toys can be flung as missiles, causing serious injuries and even death
• Drinking soft drinks from bottles also poses a danger. The bottles are also capable of causing serious injuries in a collision
• And remember, pets can also present problems, especially when they become restless

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