1. Never Ride out Into a Street Without Stopping First

Children act differently in traffic than adults Ten ways to help children become Children are children, not young adults. It's better pedestrians and cy- important to understand their limitations in clists understanding traffic. 4. Consider any limitations your child has Specifically, children: 1. Give your child only as much indepen- and how these might influence his or her dence and responsibility as s/he can behavior in traffic. For example, does your handle safely. Throughout childhood, chil-  Have a narrower field of vision child have vision problems? Hearing im- than adults, about 1/3 less. dren slowly develop the cognitive, percep- pairment? Cognitive or judgment limita- tual and sensory skills necessary to be safe tions? Physical handicaps?  Cannot easily judge a car's speed in traffic. and distance. 5. Give your child practice in traffic. Fre- quent supervised experiences can help  Assume that if they can see a car, children develop good traffic safety habits. its driver must be able to see them. However, children are easily hid- 6. Teach your child the rules of walking den from view by parked cars and and bicycling safety as you encounter traf- other objects. fic situations. Ask your children to repeat rules back to you.  Cannot readily tell the direction a sound is coming from. 7. Do not assume your child will follow the rules just because s/he can verbalize  May be impatient and impulsive. 2. Remember that each child is unique. Do them. Let your child lead you in traffic to not base rules for one child on those for help you assess how well s/he follows the  Concentrate on only one thing at a siblings, cousins or neighbors. Children of rules. Set up situations with your child in time. This is likely not to be traffic. the same age may require different levels which you shadow him/her (walk 10-15  Have a limited sense of danger. of supervision in traffic. feet behind) to allow semi-independence.

 Often mix fantasy with reality. 3. Evaluate your child's behavior out of 8. Grant independence in small steps to see traffic. Is s/he impulsive? Does s/he stop to how your child handles it. For example, let  Imitate the (often bad) behavior of think before acting? Distractable? Can s/he your child progress from playing in front others, especially older children sustain attention on something important? of the house to playing on the block, to and adults. Is s/he a risk-taker? It is likely that your walking around the block, to crossing one child's behavior in traffic will resemble be- street, etc. havior out of traffic. How Children Children are not 9. Always model appropriate traffic safety See Traffic Young adults! practices yourself, whether you are walking, bicycling or driving! Children learn from important people around them. The excitement of your child's first steps. The thrill of their being able to balance a 10. Be a careful driver, watch for children bicycle without training wheels. These are who may not yet have developed good among the fondest memories of any child's traffic safety habits. Their safety is in your growth and development. hands.

This publication produced by City of Madison Department of Transportation Traffic Engineering Division Thanks to Waisman Center For the child, these events are early steps University of Wisconsin - Madison. towards independence. No longer are they dependent on their parents for mobility. Help your child be a better But this independence is filled with For more information on bicycling and pedestrian and bicyclist hazards, as the unsuspecting child walking in Madison call 608-266-6225 encounters cars, trucks and their drivers in or email Arthur Ross, Bike Ped Coordinator at what the child considers his or her play [email protected] space.

This pamphlet was distributed by the Bicycle Helmet Safe- Open this brochure to discover the ty Institute on behalf of TransMadison because we found it problems children have in traffic, simply enlightening and wanted to pass it on. because they are children. You will also TransMadison find ways to help your child become a The Word is Getting Around better pedestrian and bicyclist, and for you to become a better driver.