QuestionQUESTION: Hello, My name is Ana Martinez. I am a high school student in NYC at High School of Economics and Finance. I am conducting a project called Quality of Life. For this project i had to look at a problem in my community and come up with a proposal that will help this issue. One of the many problems i picked in my community was child pedestrian accidents near schools and playgrounds. I would like to know if you can kindly volunteer to be one of my experts for this project and supply me with more information on this topic. Please confirm and i will send another e-mail with some questions I have. Thank You for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Ana Martinez
ANSWER: Hello Ana and welcome to AllExperts....
You have a picked a very serious and necessary topic and I congratulate you. While I am certainly willing to help, I believe you would want statistics more closely assigned to the area of your report, namely, NYC.
The only information I can give will be state generated (California) and of course, my expertise is in training and teaching. The California Highway Patrol and your State Troopers would be the best portal for collected statistics and programs associated with your topic.
That said, if you still desire me to assist you, then I will try to provide what I can.
Terry
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello Terry,
Thank you and Im looking forward to asking you some questions, even though your expertees are from another state.
1. How do you feel about child pedestrian accidents near schools and local parks?
2. If you have kids ages 6-12 years old or were to have kids, would you feel comfortable leeting your children out alone, letting them cross the streets alone etc?
2. How common is it in California?
3. Do you know anything that is been done to prevent these accidents? If so what are they? & are they been affective?
4. Are there any laws in California that control the drivers speed limits near schools and playgrounds? If so what are they?
5. From your exerience as a Deputy Sheriff, did you ever encounter any accidents related to child pedestrians? How did you handle the situation?
6. Ive looked at your credentials and i've noticed that you were a Driver awareness instructor. Were there any specific awareness towards pedestrians and children?
7. What do you think is needed to make walking for children safer?
Thank you so much for you time on answering these questions, it will be greatly apreciated.
AnswerGood morning Ana!
Before we get started, I want to make a blanket statement that all accidents are preventable if all participants change the way in which they behave on or about a roadway, parking lot, or anywhere in which drivers share a common thoroughfare with pedestrians.
This means everyone is paying attention to their environs around them and expects the unexpected. Whether it is a driver or a pedestrian, they choose not to be complacent, keeping a visual high profile around them.
For drivers, this means that defensive driving is their first and most important task. Joy riding, taking in the sights, rubber necking, rushing to arrive somewhere, aggressive driving or distraction within the car must stop. If a driver cannot see a problem, they cannot respond appropriately to it. If a drivers poor choice of speed or roadway position is faulty, they will not be able to defensively move away from a person, vehicle or property, and a collision is usually inevitable.
For pedestrians, they must know that their right-of-way privileges are not guaranteed.
This law only provides a penalty for drivers who do not provide them a right-of-way.
* It does not guarantee that a driver has seen them.
* It does not change the laws of physics regarding a drivers speed and braking distances.
* It does not allow for distraction and inattention within the car.
A pedestrian must assume that every vehicle is driven by someone who either will not see them in time, will not be able to stop the vehicle in time, or will not see them at all. Never assume they have seen you.
A pedestrian can make their presence much safer by helping drivers see them:
* Wearing bright colors (Hat, Coat, Sweater, Etc)
* Giving more time for a driver to see you before you enter their path of travel.
* Never enter a roadway from parked cars or other obstruction.
* Waiting for a car to slow down and stop.
* Getting eye contact with a motorist.
Because we live in a world where motorists and pedestrians usually are not cooperatively helping each other, we must maximize whatever can be done to create a better window of safety. So, on to your questions.
1. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHILD PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS NEAR SCHOOLS AND LOCAL PARKS?
Accidents between vehicles and pedestrians always exponentially worsens when the density of either increases. We cannot prevent the density issue, especially around schools and parks. By its very nature, students (school) and those seeking leisure (parks) will always congregate in those places and must drive to get there. Its unfortunately a ‘Catch-22’ situation in that the occupants of a car who leave their vehicle become pedestrians themselves and often become victims in such an accident.
When accidents occur and become well publicized, for a time, people may actually become more aware of their surroundings and this issue is lessened or abated for a time. Law enforcement tries to step up active supervision and enforcement of those places, but there are just too many places to patrol, to assign an officer for more than a cursory observation.
Until drivers become willing participants in safe defensive driving habits, and pedestrians become willing partners in their share of responsibility, we unfortunately will not see much of a drop in such accidents. Our “get-it-now”, “rush-to-get-there”, self centered and uncaring lifestyles determine the results of these things.
When people are driving on expired, suspended and revoked drivers licenses, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I don’t believe making current legislation more punitive will help. It will not change their behavior as they are already not in compliance with current laws anyway.
The same can be said for driving while distracted by cell-phones, eating, dressing, applying make-up, reading, filing, or any other activity that many States already have laws against, and yet their behavior continues to violate those laws. The law cannot change behavior alone. As a society, we must embrace this as being so important that we are willing to make a change in how we think and how we view others. We must determine to make a difference.
2. IF YOU HAVE KIDS AGES 6-12 YEARS OLD OR WERE TO HAVE KIDS, WOULD YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE LETTING YOUR CHILDREN OUT ALONE, LETTING THEM CROSS THE STREETS ALONE ETC?
I have 5 adult children between the ages of 22 to 35. I have 2 grand children, ages 5 and 15. There are certain things we cannot change. One of them is to live and commute in a society that does not share the same values and safe practices that we as parents desire for our kids. I am never completely comfortable with anything that has a potential to harm my kids and grand kids. Consider, a burglar could enter my home or theirs and harm my family. They could be involved in an accident whether on the road, in their house or fill-in-the-blank. They could come down with a disease, etc.
I do not believe a parent is ever completely comfortable as there are just too many factors in play while living our many years on this planet with others like us. What we can do is to prepare and teach our children so as to become knowledgeably vaccinated for the many avoidable catastrophes, and when they become drivers, to further extend defensive driving and awareness to that area as well.
2. HOW COMMON IS IT IN CALIFORNIA?
Sadly, collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians are an equal opportunist. This opportunist lives not just in the lower 50 States, but anywhere in the world where people share a common roadway with a vehicle, and the denser the roadway is, the more likely an accident will occur.
3. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING THAT IS BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THESE ACCIDENTS? IF SO WHAT ARE THEY? %26 ARE THEY BEEN AFFECTIVE?
Nothing can prevent such an accident as long as free will and a determination to drive while using unsafe practices exists. Such accidents have happened directly in front of police officers, although they are greatly minimized with an officer present. This is not practical though, as every department would have to increase their manpower by 1000% or more, and I’m sure there would still be roadways/schools/parking lots/etc unmanned.
Stiffer penalties only address an accident after they happen, not before. Training is only as valuable as the desire to embrace its precepts. Consider every lawful driver has taken an actual driving test at one time, and numerous written tests throughout their lifetime, and yet their driving is unaffected by the issues of safety and obedience of laws that were taught to them.
The best training comes from those they trust most, like a close friend or family member. But this in and of itself does not guarantee anything. People will behave according to their own interests, belief system, and how they evaluate the experiences of others as well as their own.
4. ARE THERE ANY LAWS IN CALIFORNIA THAT CONTROL THE DRIVERS SPEED LIMITS NEAR SCHOOLS AND PLAYGROUNDS? IF SO WHAT ARE THEY?
Yes, regardless of the posted speed, when children are present, the law states no vehicle shall travel faster than 25 mph. This speed by the way is under best conditions. If rain, fog or other issues are present, the safe speed may be much less.
5. FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A DEPUTY SHERIFF, DID YOU EVER ENCOUNTER ANY ACCIDENTS RELATED TO CHILD PEDESTRIANS? HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE SITUATION?
Many unfortunately. I have spent many years on patrol in a very dense area within the San Francisco Bay Area. The only thing you can do is to follow your policies, procedures, training and experience.
• If any injuries exist, request fire and an ambulance.
• Access any victims and triage them for airway, breathing, circulatory, and first aid issues.
• Cordon off the area to ensure safety and to protect evidence.
• Identify the victims and as soon as possible, advise their parent or guardian.
• Never leave a victim unattended.
I have made many advisements of an injury or death of a child/adult and there is never a better or easier way to handle this. It is always a dreadful thing to do; yet we have an opportunity to take part in the process of sorrow with the victims family and be with them until they have some sense of stability or are aided by others.
6. I'VE LOOKED AT YOUR CREDENTIALS AND I'VE NOTICED THAT YOU WERE A DRIVER AWARENESS INSTRUCTOR. WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC AWARENESS TOWARDS PEDESTRIANS AND CHILDREN?
Absolutely!
A great part of our training deals with maintaining a high visual horizon, always expecting every driver or pedestrian to enter into your direction of travel, and having a plan to defensively negotiate the vehicle around the problem. A quarterback will usually not be successful in a play unless a plan has been made in the huddle, and everyone is prepared to act on that plan, having emergency plans in the works if necessary. Even a police officer when operating a motor vehicle is first and foremost, a professional driver, and secondarily an enforcement officer. This was a great part of that training. We also taught it to fire, ambulance and civilians as well. We used simulators, actual driving on a skid-pan, emergency braking through turns, hazard avoidance exercises and the list continues.
7. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS NEEDED TO MAKE WALKING FOR CHILDREN SAFER?
To do so in large groups, as there are more eyes and a greater opportunity to observe. Drivers also tend to see larger groups of people than 1 of a couple. Wear bright colors. Teach every child of the dangers as noted above. Allow the parent to be a crossing guard, making eye contact with a motorist and waiting till it it safe before having children enter onto a roadway or the driving area of a parking lot.
When you see your responsibility to be as important and necessary as an aircraft controller in a tower guiding hundreds of aircraft over them, you then begin to see how important this becomes. Your radar is what you can see and hear. Your radio becomes body language and observation.
The easiest statement is this:
FOR THE DRIVER:
You will not see a problem until it is too late.
Kids will always run out in front of you.
Your speed is probably too high to stop in time. Slow down.
Always place your vehicle in a position that will increase observance of pedestrians.
Always have a defensive plan for avoidance.
Always expect the unexpected.
Never do anything in the car that will create a distraction.
Never take your eyes off the roadway.
Constantly scan everything there is to se in front of you.
Never become complacent.
FOR THE PEDESTRIAN:
Believe that every vehicle will not see you.
Every chance you take to enter a roadway when unsafe will always end in the hospital or worse.
Expect every driver to be reading, texting, dressing, or something else other than looking for you.
Walk as if you DO NOT have the right of way. (The law will not prevent an accident).
Even it a drivers stops for you, never believe its safe so you can let your guard down.
Even if a driver stops for you doesn’t mean others will, especially the lane to that drivers left.
I hope this had helped Ana. have a great day and good luck on your quality of life project!
Terry
