Ottawa Accident Lawyer: Are your kids safe Pedestrians?

Ottawa pedestrian accidents involving children are among the most traumatic car accidents.  Unfortunately, as we know from our personal injury law practice, these accidents are all too common in Ottawa.

Your child may be vulnerable to a motor vehicle accident simply by virtue of inexperience and (it’s true…) your over-estimation of their knowledge and skill in traffic.  Consider the following 8 factors that make your kids more prone to be struck as a pedestrian:

1.  Your child may believe that if he or she can see a vehicle, the vehicle’s driver can see him or her.

2.  Your child may believe that a car driver will always stop at a crosswalk.

3.  Your child may not realize that a car cannot brake on a dime.

4.  Your child may be preoccupied with play and dart out after a pet or a toy.  Similarly, Ottawa children are vulnerable to toboganning into traffic.

5. Your child’s peripheral vision may not be as developed as an adult’s.

6. A child lacks the experience to judge a car’s distance and speed.

7.Your child may believe that a vehicle will always stop at a red light, or that it is always safe to cross on a green light.

8.  Your child may not be able to tell the direction from which sound is coming.

As parents, we want to do everything to protect our children.  Teaching our children to be safe in a way that factors in their cognitive, developmental, behavioural, physical and sensory abilities will enhance their safety on Ottawa streets.

Read our articles on child car accidents in Ottawa for more information about what to do if your child has been in a serious motor vehicle accident as a pedestrian.

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