Vermont & New Hampshire Injury Blog

Neighborhood Safety Helps Keep Pedestrians Safe

Recent accidents involving pedestrians bring to light the importance of safety around pedestrians.  Fortunately there are many non-profit and government agencies who are helping educate the public and keep pedestrians safe. 

The US Department of Transportation implemented their Pedestrian Safety Campaign to help drivers and pedestrians avoid accidents.  Getting your children involved at a young age will teach them to be aware of their surroundings and stay safe on the road.

The Pedestrian Safety Campaign targets children and their families, giving them the tools necessary to evaluate the safety of their streets and sidewalks.  The checklist offered on the site allows children to fill out a worksheet that rates the safety of their neighborhood.

The checklist asks the following questions:

• 1. Did you have enough room to walk safely?
• 2. Was it easy to cross streets?
• 3. Did drivers behave well?
• 4. Was it easy to follow safety rules?
• 5. Was your walk pleasant?

Each question has several items to check.  Depending on how many items you check, your neighborhood will get a rating of anywhere from, "Celebrate!  You have a great neighborhood for walking," to "Call out the National Guard before you walk.  It's a disaster area."

Once the weather warms go for a walk and rate your neighborhood; it just may prevent an accident.