As the start of the school year quickly approaches, parents and drivers must to do their part to keep kids safe as they walk to school, urged physicians at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
More than 25,000 children 5 to 14 years old are injured as pedestrians each year in the U.S. Injuries from a pedestrian-related incident often include severe trauma to the brain.
To avoid an accident, experts suggest parents familiarize their children with the route to school prior to the first day of classes.
“Parents should be proactive and take the time to talk about safety with their kids before they head back to school,” said Amy Teddy. “It’s also important to remember that school-age children don’t have the ability to judge distances or speed, so they are more likely to try to cross a street when a car is too close to stop in time."
Adults can teach and model the following safety behavior that all children should follow, even if they don’t walk to school every day.
While walking:
• 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.
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