Streetproofing Our Kids

Telling your children to “never talk to strangers” is only one step in keeping our children safe from sexual predators and child abductors.

As children, how many times were we told to “never talk to strangers”? And how many times have we given our own children the same message? We’ve all heard the horror stories and because of them we’re anxious to street proof our children. But Martha McArthur of the safety program, Block Parents, believes that a pat “never talk to strangers” isn’t realistic. Instead, McArthur says “it’s important to make your children aware how to interact with strangers. ‘Never talk to strangers’ just isn’t practical because we do find children who get lost and are then afraid to ask for help from a stranger.”

As spring arrives children venture to the great outdoors for play and pleasure.  In so doing they encounter any number of safety obstacles like learning to cope with traffic.  Going for walks is a great way to teach young children the rules of the road.

• Always stop at the curb or road edge before entering the street.
• Look left, right, then left again before crossing.  Look over your shoulder for turning vehicles.  As you cross the road, keep looking left, right, then left again.
• Where traffic lights are placed, only cross when the light is green or the “WALK” light is on.
• Before you cross, always look left, right, then left again.
• When a “DON’T WALK” sign appears, wait on the curb until the “WALK” sign comes on.  If you are already in the street  keep walking.
• Never walk out from behind a parked vehicle.  Walk to the nearest intersection to cross the
  street.
• If children must walk where there are no sidewalks, teach them to facing the traffic and to keep
  to the left as far away from the road as possible.