One of the best parts of being a kid is having the free time to run, play and generally experience a good time with one’s friends and siblings. In Ohio, it is not uncommon to see groups of children sledding down hills in the winter, playing sports in the summer and just hanging out together any time of the year. Children know how to have a good time, and in some cases their enthusiasm for getting where they want to go overrides their developing senses of patience and responsibility. These factors can put them at risk for putting themselves in to dangerous situations.Particularly children between the ages of 5 and 9 are at risk of suffering serious injuries and death in auto-pedestrian accidents. Children younger than this age group may often be with their parents or guardians and under their protection, while children over this group of ages may have more understanding of what it means to be safe when near streets and vehicles. Children between the ages of 5 and 9 tend to be small and potentially difficult for drivers to see. All of these factors may contribute to serious collisions between vehicles and kids.When drivers see children in their vicinity their duty of care increases. Drivers are responsible for exercising caution at all times while behind the wheel of their car, but when children are present that responsibility is heightened. This is so that they are better prepared to deal with a possible encounter with a child in the road.Tragedies occur every year when children and vehicles collide. Drivers must take extra precautions to avoid these preventable accidents and to save the lives of the children that may be near them when they are out on the roads.