Is it appropriate to tell your 5-year-old about something like this? Mine has been good about waiting for me at intersections but I wonder if one day he's going to get a crazy idea and decide he can cross by himself.

I am a very careful driver, but the one time I almost hit a child was while driving a van. It is up very high and children can actually be well below the dashboard. In my case, a child ran around the back of their parked car while the mother was getting a sibling out of the other side. I slammed on the brakes instantly. The child fell, but I hadn’t hit him. He was just startled. He was crying and I was crying. The mom was very shaken, too, but emphasized it wasn’t my fault. It was a long time before I felt comfortable restarting the van and leaving the scene.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

The child was in a crosswalk. There's no way for a driver to kill her unless they ran the stop sign. Even if the child got out ahead of her parents, an attentive driver who stopped at the sign would STILL have been able to stop.

That’s so obviously untrue. Have you really never once see a kid <5 yrs blast into the road (crosswalk) without stopping?? You know, barreling at a good clip down the ADA sidewalk ramp? Scooters are the most common method of this but I also see balance bikes and just plain running full bore.

Yes. Drivers need to to yield. Always. If you cannot reasonably see a thing to *yield to* though, it makes it pretty hard. Even at 5 mph

A 42” tall child fast approaching from your right if you’re in a tall van at dusk-darkness is almost impossible to see.

Peace to her family

Without facts, we can’t really know what happened. I have almost been hit in a crosswalk at last three times—once the driver was turning left without looking and twice the driver actually zoom around someone who had stopped properly because I was in the crosswalk. On the other hand, I almost hit a kid coming out of the library parking lot last month—the mother was about 20 yards ahead and the child was bent down on the ground picking up something she had dropped so almost no visible. And another time when I was driving and a child came shooting out from a blind intersection downhill on a scooter without stopping. Both times I luckily was able to slam the brakes. But kids do stuff like that sometimes. It’s so scary. I have a relative that was killed swerving to avoid a child that ran out into a street to get a ball.

As the operator of a machine that can kill very easily, I'm responsible for making sure that doesn't happen. If it does, I'm at fault. Period. Full stop. I'm sure the driver is distraught and I hope s/he and the family of the kid both find peace, but that doesn't change the moral responsibility.

I drove through the intersection this morning. There was a chalk outline of a car directly in the center of a crosswalk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

Of course it is the driver's fault. Don't be an idiot.

It's a four-way crosswalk with no lights and 7PM at night. I'm guessing the driver didn't see the tiny 5-year-old and the parent wasn't close enough to wave the car off.

Not anyone's fault.

It is still daylight at 7pm this time of year.

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

The child was in a crosswalk. There's no way for a driver to kill her unless they ran the stop sign. Even if the child got out ahead of her parents, an attentive driver who stopped at the sign would STILL have been able to stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

Of course it is the driver's fault. Don't be an idiot.

My 3 YO niece ran out into the street and was almost hit by a car. Sometimes people do things that cause them harm.


In this case - no one from DCUM was there. Can we say a prayer for the driver and the family. They are probably both distraught right now.
And as drivers we can slow down
And remind our family how to be safe when riding, scootering, walking

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

Of course it is the driver's fault. Don't be an idiot.

It's a four-way crosswalk with no lights and 7PM at night. I'm guessing the driver didn't see the tiny 5-year-old and the parent wasn't close enough to wave the car off.

Not anyone's fault.

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

Of course it is the driver's fault. Don't be an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

The intersection is a four way stop. With a church on one corner and a school on the other.

I am gutted by this. And by how little the government does to protect pedestrians in this city.

My kids are back in school. Drivers (parents! of their classmates!) block EVERY SINGLE crosswalk at dropoff and pickup daily.

It is so dangerous and the city's efforts prioritize driver preferences and speed. Always.

A five year old on a scooter or bike should be on the sidewalk or right next to a parent. Unless the van was driving on the sidewalk, I don't know why you would assume it was the driver's fault.

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/09/5-year-old-struck-by-van-killed-in-northeast-dc/

Pretty terrible story. I was just thinking yesterday as I drove to pick up my kid from school in Brookland that aggressive driving in DC is just so infuriating. Not enough details yet but I wouldn't be shocked if aggressive driving caused this. Slow down out there people!