Keep Kids Safe as They Walk to School | Schools

With summer coming to an end and the start of the school year just around the corner, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Greater Cleveland remind parents and drivers to do their part to keep kids safe as they walk to school.  As children head back to school, students and drivers need to be extra careful when on the roads.

 “Parents should be proactive and take the time to talk about safety with their kids before they head back to school,” said Mandy Thomas, Safe Kids Greater Cleveland Coordinator at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. “We suggest that parents walk the route to school with students before the start of the year to assess dangers and select a course with the least number of traffic crossings.”

Since parents are the greatest influence in a child’s life, parents need to teach and model safe behaviors for their children to follow. UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Greater Cleveland recommend these following safety behaviors to keep kids safe as they travel to school:

• Always cross the street with an adult until age 10
• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks when possible
• Look left, right and left again when crossing
• Always walk, never run, when crossing streets
• Walk on sidewalks or paths
• Walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible if there are no sidewalks
• If riding a bike to school, make sure to always wear a helmet and follow proper bicycle safety rules

Not only do children walking to school need to be observant, but drivers need to remember that school is back in session. With more children on the roads and different driving patterns, we want to remind drivers to:

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods and school zones
• Take extra time to look for children on and near the road, before and after school hours
• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully
• Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours
• Remember that children may move in unpredictable ways

“Whether parents are taking their kids to school or driving through a school zone, they can do their part to keep kids safe,” said Thomas.