With summer right around the corner, pedestrians—especially children—are more susceptible to Florida pedestrian injuries than during other times of the year. Because children are outside walking, biking, and playing more in the summer, they are at an increased risk for being involved and seriously injured in a pedestrian accident.
Risk of Florida Child Pedestrian Injuries
Many parents aren’t worried about their children playing outside because they live on small residential streets. However, even kids who live in quiet neighborhoods are at risk for being hit by a motor vehicle. Drivers can be in a hurry to get home and peel around the corner right into kids who are playing in the roadway. Or, drivers may be texting and distracted even in residential communities. Sadly, innocent children enjoying their summer break suffer the results of negligent drivers.
Unfortunately, the risk of Florida child pedestrian accidents and injuries increases during the summer months. Because of this, it is important that everyone does their part to reduce the risk of child pedestrian injuries.
All drivers need to:
- Slow down, especially in residential neighborhoods
- Be more careful and vigilant
- Look out for children
- Never text and drive or drive distracted
While drivers are generally at fault in Sarasota child pedestrian accidents, children and parents also have a duty to reduce their risks. Children should be taught to play in yards and driveways, look out for traffic, and ride their bicycles with the flow of traffic.
Even if children are playing, biking, or walking safely outside, they can still get injured or killed due to negligent, distracted drivers. Nearly 20 percent of children between the ages of five and nine who died in 2010 were killed in pedestrian accidents, according the National Traffic Safety Administration.
If your child suffered pedestrian injuries or was killed by a reckless driver, your family has rights to seek justice and just compensation. To find out about your rights, call Mallard Perez to speak with a qualified Sarasota pedestrian accident attorney in a free consultation at 888-409-3805.