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Stop Sign Violations Put Child Pedestrians at Risk of Serious Injuries

Pedestrian injury is one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries among children. Speeding, driver inattention and running stop signs are some of the many known factors in pedestrian accidents involving young kids. Stop sign violations are believed to be a cause in approximately 200 deadly accidents and 17,000 injury crashes annually.

Children do not have the same awareness of danger as adults. It is not uncommon to see a child dart in the street to retrieve a soccer ball or exit a school bus and run across the road. Drivers have to pay close attention to children when they are driving near schools or in neighborhoods.

A study was conducted by SAFE KIDS and FedEx Express that looked into driver behaviors at intersections in school zones and residential neighborhoods. The purpose was to determine how frequently drivers complied with stop signs at pedestrian crosswalks near schools and residential locations. A total of 288 intersections were studied.

During the study, two observers would watch an intersection for 30 minutes and take notes regarding stopping behaviors. The results were unsettling. The following conclusions were made by the researchers:

• Almost half of the cars surveyed violated stop signs by not coming to a full stop.
• 37 percent of vehicles rolled through stop signs.
• 7 percent of vehicles did not even slow down at the stop signs.
• When a car stopped, it frequently did so in or past the crosswalk.
• About one third of motorists made a stop sign violation when child pedestrians were present.
• 50 percent of motorists violated stop signs when there were no pedestrians.
• 24 percent of motorists did not fully stop at intersections when pedestrians were crossing.
  

Researchers concluded that children are in danger every day because of driver behaviors. Motorists need to pay more attention to child pedestrians to help decrease the number of serious injuries and death every year.

If you or your child has been injured in a Southern California pedestrian accident, you should contact a Los Angeles injury lawyer at Steinberg & Spencer at (800) 350-8888 for a free legal consultation.

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