Fewer kids are dying

Fewer kids are being injured and killed by cars and trucks. That's certainly good news, whatever the reason. But the primary reason might come as a surprise.
According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, the number of child pedestrians killed in traffic accidents fell by nearly half and injuries by more than a third during the 1990s because ... fewer kids are walking to school.
According to another survey, in 1969 half of all elementary school children walked or rode their bikes to school. Today just 1 in 7 walks or bikes to school.
A host of reasons
Some parents don't allow their children to walk to school out of fear for their safety -- and they are not only motivated by fear of traffic accidents. Others drive their children to school -- even when they live well within walking distance in communities with sidewalks and guarded crossings -- because it's more convenient for working families. And it's worth remembering that today's parents are of a generation themselves who rode more than they walked.
Whatever the reasons, we'll take the good news that fewer children are being hurt and killed.