While many people associate Florida truck accidents with high-speed highway accidents, some tragic Florida pedestrian accidents involve trucks in urban areas – and these accidents often include small children. Pickup trucks, delivery trucks, and other types of trucks which are common in urban areas and residential areas pose a high risk of fatalities and injury to children and minors. These trucks make unexpected stops and often fascinate youngsters.

Waste management trucks, for example, are a common risk to children, because they are prevalent in residential areas and often back up or stop unexpectedly. There are more than 700 such trucks servicing the South Florida area alone and now that the children are in school, these trucks are often in residential areas during the morning rush, when children are preparing for and heading out to school. Waste management truck drivers get training to ensure that they are safe drivers. However, there are many things that parents can do to help prevent this tragic type of Florida trucking accident:

1) Set some rules. Talk to your children about trucks and other vehicles. Especially, make sure that your children know how dangerous it is to approach a waste management truck or climb on it. Emphasize that the truck is dangerous, even when it is parked or stopped. Teach your children to recognize the back-up alarm and lights, which indicate that a truck is backing up.

2) Do not allow children to follow a waste management truck on skateboards, bicycles, or skates. If the truck stops suddenly, your children may not be able to brake in time. As well, children following closely behind a truck may not be visible to the driver.

3) Do not allow children to stand or play near the waste bins when waiting for the bus. The waste truck may come along before the bus does, and it is safer to have children clear of the area.

4) Do not let your children walk to school while texting or listening to an iPod. They may be too distracted to see or hear trucks and other vehicles coming. Many Florida pedestrian accidents each year occur simply because pedestrians are distracted and not noticing the dangers around them.

5) If you are driving your child to school, avoid driving behind or beside a waste management truck or other large truck. This is where the driver’s blind spots are. As well, give a truck more space when passing – a waste management truck and most commercial trucks take twice as long to come to a stop when compared with passenger vehicles.