Running a Stop Sign Can Result in Child Injury

According to a study by SAFE KIDS and FedEx Express, nearly half of the cars observed committed a stop sign violation in a school zone or residential neighborhood.  When you combine this startling finding with the fact that children under the age of 10 lack the cognitive ability to avoid the dangers imposed by cars, it is easy to see why pedestrian injury is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury among children.  Every year, stop sign violations play a factor in about 200 fatal accidents and 17,000 injury crashes.

During the study, researchers observed 288 intersections for 30 minutes each.  What they discovered was that 37 percent of the cars rolled right through stop signs and another 7 percent didn’t even slow down.  If the car actually stopped, it usually did so in or past the crosswalk, which is still dangerous for young pedestrians.  One of the most unsettling discoveries from this study is that nearly one-third of the drivers committed a stop sign violation when children were present.

Driver behaviors are putting children at risk of being injured in a pedestrian accident.  If your child has been the victim of a pedestrian accident in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino or other area in Southern California, you should contact Steinberg & Spencer Injury Lawyers at 800-350-8888 for legal advice.