On Monday morning, YWN published an absolutely shocking video of three young children on one electric scooter – all without helmets – driving in the middle of a Monsey Road. They laughed at the Hatzoloh member who confronted them. In response to the video, Rabbi Yosef C. Golding, the Executive Director of Rockland Hatzoloh sent YWN the following: As the days grow longer and warmer, Hatzoloh of Rockland definitely sees an unusually high number of pedestrian injuries, as well as children on bikes and scooters being hit by cars. It’s high time for parents to teach safety…and to enforce it to the best of their ability! Parents need to train the children that there is a right and wrong way of crossing the street and riding a bike or scooter. Given that Rockland’s traffic has expanded exponentially, why should a young child ever be allowed to ride on roads with cars? Parents must ensure that there is no biking or going on a scooter or roller blades without a helmet, even for the biker with training wheels. Stress that children must wear appropriate shoes that grip pedals, not sandals or other hazardous shoes. Younger children should never ride in the street, but even children old enough to ride in the street need reminders to ride with traffic and obey all traffic laws. That includes red lights, stop signs, and yielding to pedestrians. Parents should look over their children’s bikes and scooters more than once during the Spring and Summer seasons. Make sure tires have sufficient air, the seat is not loose, and the handlebars are aligned. Additionally, adjust the bike or scooter so it is the right height for the rider. Riding a bike that is too tall creates safety issues if the rider cannot sit properly on the seat or reach the ground. Children should avoid bike riding or scooters in the early evening, as visibility is restricted, but for times when that is not feasible, children should wear a body reflector while riding, with flashing rear reflectors and a headlight visible for 500 feet. For children walking on the street, parents should lead by example. Cross only at crosswalks and obey traffic signals and rules. Explain to children the dangers of stepping out from between two cars. Show them how to make eye contact with drivers before crossing and explain that they should never presume cars will stop. Teach children from a young age, when you are still crossing the street with them at your side, to look left, right, and left again before stepping into the street. Remind children to stay on sidewalks whenever possible. Tell them to walk on the far side of the road facing traffic if a sidewalk is unavailable. As much as parents can work on street smarts for their kids, drivers must be aware that kids will be kids, and the drivers bear the ultimate responsibility in case of an accident c”v. Drivers need to be on the lookout for kids at all times, on bikes and on foot, especially when they spot other children near the street, and during inclement weather when people tend to be less careful. Drivers should always yield to pedestrians – even if they aren’t crossing at a crosswalk. Drivers should be especially mindful when pulling into […]
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