The end of Daylight Savings Time (DST) in New England comes on the heels of Halloween, after the topic of child pedestrian safety is still fresh in the minds of many parents. The time change also shrouds neighborhoods in the afternoon and evening hours with dark skies, when children are walking home from school alongside tired Connecticut drivers meandering through neighborhoods on their way home from work, many who are driving just as fast as when it’s light out.
It’s important that children know how to safely travel on foot when the nights are longer; however, pedestrian-related accidents occurring around DST are ultimately tied back to driver negligence. Read on for more about how you can help make our streets safer for kids when it’s dark out.
Drivers play a significant role in preventing pedestrian accidents when the days are shorter. Even though most of us savor the extra hour of sleep, unfortunately, there are those who take advantage of the longer night with increased alcohol consumption and further impair themselves on top of the disruption of the switch from DST to Standard time already has on sleeping patterns. This can take days or even a week to adjust to and many drivers fail to consider this when getting behind the wheel, lowering their awareness and increasing the odds of an accident.
How can you help keep our kids safe after the time change? You can be a better driver by:
For parents who are unable to pick their children up from school at this hour, how can you help best prepare your kids for the time change?
Getting Home Safely: Street Safety Tips for Kids
If your child walks home from school or sports practice each day, it might feel alarming as a parent to think about him or her walking the neighborhood when shorter days set in. At The Flood Law Firm, we believe in taking preventative measures to avoid hazardous and unsafe conditions, which is why we’ve put together a quick reference list for parents whose kids walk home during twilight hours.
Clear communication with your child will help alleviate some of the nerves. Take some time to go over the following tips together:
Every parent wants to protect their child, and reviewing these simple precautions with him or her can help instill a sense of independence and responsibility by teaching them how to best protect themselves.
Daylight Savings Time can warrant extra precautions for other modes of transportation as well. If your child takes the bus or rides a bike home from school, here’s a few more tips for ensuring their safety in the darker afternoon hours:
Kids School Bus Safety
Kids Bike and Scooter Safety
www.nationwidechildrens.org
Even when we’ve taken every precaution we can, accidents can still happen. If you or your child have been hurt in a bicycle, pedestrian, motor vehicle or bus accident, call the car accident attorneys at The Flood Law Firm at (860) 346-2695 for a risk-free, no obligation consultation. Your family’s safety and well-being matter to us.