Kids Under 10: 7 Scary Reasons To Update ID Pedestrian Laws

It was around this time last year that I learned that crossing the street, something I've been doing on my own since I was seven or eight, is actually one of the most dangerous things my own kids can do today.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not the helicoptering kind. I get how ridiculous this sounds, but data from the Idaho Transportation Department doesn't lie.

According to Walk Smart, a statewide pedestrian safety initiative launched by ITD, our little ones actually "observe a roadway environment from a different perspective than adults" for several reasons that never occurred to us.

Just so we're clear, ITD acknowledges kids under 10 do not and cannot process roadway environments like adults do.

Why, then, respectfully, is it still legal for our most vulnerable Idaho kids to cross the street, busy, multi-lane streets in particular, alone?

ITD lays it out clear as day: children under 10 are at a dangerous disadvantage in traffic-related scenarios. If not an adult or parent, they should at least have a friend or sibling with the developmental faculties to handle the situation at their side.

Idaho statute 49-702, Pedestrians & Bicycles, makes no mention of minors or kids under 10 crossing streets. Per ITD logic, shouldn't it?

When it comes to Big Brother's involvement in my day to day life, I typically employ a less-is-best mentality. That said, I do tend to pivot when it comes to child safety and advocacy.

I would wholeheartedly support a legislative measure to do more (than the nothing we're doing now) to keep our youngest pedestrians safer. If you're still on the fence about it, take a quick scroll through the gallery below.

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