A new school year can often be the beginning of something special – another year for students to learn, grow and imagine all the possibilities (even if our kids don’t always see it that way).
Unfortunately, too many kids are not getting to school and back safety. In fact, every day in the U.S. more than 40 kids are hit by a vehicle while walking. That’s more than 15,000 children injured each year. Whether your kids are walking to school, the park or a friend’s house, here are a few simple tips to make sure they get there safely:
- Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
- Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.
- It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
- Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
- Be a good role model. Set a good example by putting your phone, headphones and devices down when walking around cars.
For more information visit https://www.safekids.org/walkingsafelytips.
