The Pidaha tribe in the Amazon let their toddlers play with knives and fire, and they learn safety by doing so. Granted traffic is not present in hunter gather societies. This is extreme by Western standards, but I put it as an example to show that coercion is a western value, ie forced control of others. Instead of seeing it as a practical measure, you are limiting the child's life decisions by preventing them from exploring their surroundings untethered.