On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

After the long and brutal winter we just endured, the idea that spring is officially here may understandably seem difficult to accept. However, if you were to glance at the long-range forecast for New York City, you'd see that warmer temperatures are indeed gradually returning.

Of course, with these warmer conditions comes an even greater influx of pedestrians, as people are no longer content to just remain indoors or dart from one warm shelter to the next in an attempt to beat the cold.

One group in particular that will be out in greater numbers over the coming months is children. As such, motorists will need to be more vigilant as they navigate the streets.

If you need convincing, consider that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has consistently ranked pedestrian accidents among the leading causes of deaths among children.

In fact, the agency determined that in 2012 alone, 22,000 children and young adults (under 20) were injured and another 557 were killed in pedestrian accidents here in the U.S., and that 73 percent of these accidents occurred in an urban setting.

Consider also research presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which was held this past week.

After examining everything from the first responder narratives and accident site locations to the medical records and accident reports of 100 children admitted to the emergency room of a Philadelphia-based children's hospital back in 2012, the researchers made the following conclusions:

• The majority of the injuries sustained by the children, whose average age was eight, occurred in June followed closely by the other months of spring.
• The examination of 44 cases that yielded sufficient information concerning accident location revealed that 70 percent of the children were injured mid-block, 18 percent were injured at crosswalks, and 9 percent were injured on sidewalks, parking lots or private property.
• The bus stops used by children to get to and from school, as well as areas around schools were identified as being prime locations for pedestrian accidents resulting in injuries.
• The majority of pedestrian accidents resulting in injuries to children occurred during the early evening hours 5-9 p.m. (42 percent) and the time around school dismissal 2-5 p.m. (29 percent).

Again, what all of this serves to underscore is that while motorists always need to be mindful of pedestrians, they must be especially careful over the course of the coming weeks. 

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