Youth Walk Safety Training Comes to County Schools: Aims to Decrease Injuries

According to the latest California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) analysis, Santa Cruz County ranks 4th in the state for pedestrians younger than 15 who are injured or killed in traffic. The City of Watsonville ranks 2nd out of 103 California cities of similar size in this same category. These numbers are shocking, especially in light of the fact that most Watsonville youngsters walk to school. As proponents of safe, active transportation, Ecology Action and the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency (HSA) intend to turn these numbers around one classroom at a time.

This spring, a new youth pedestrian education program was piloted at two Watsonville schools and will no doubt become a ‘must have’ at local elementary schools. The program, named Walk Smart, is a pedestrian safety training for students in grades one to three and is funded by a state Active Transportation Program grant. Students learn through classroom presentations, blacktop training, and neighborhood walks to:

· choose a safe route to school

· cross streets safely using the stop, look and listen method

· obey traffic signs and signals

· recognize and avoid potential hazards

· identify trusted adults

They take these basic lessons from their desks and then put them into practice at intersections near their schools. When students at H.A. Hyde Elementary were told they would actually be crossing intersections by themselves, the classroom erupted in excited murmurs. This is vital education at just the right time. “Children who use these forms of transportation need extra protections, tools and knowledge to become safer as they travel to school,” said Elise Ehrheart, Senior Program Specialist at Ecology Action.

Walk Smart was modeled off the nation’s leading youth pedestrian safety training program from Marin County and is aligned with the California Common Core Standards. The program was developed in collaboration and built from Ecology Action’s Bike Smart program and HSA’s Ride n’ Stride program. Walk Smart is scheduled at San Lorenzo Valley, Mintie White, and Freedom elementary schools this fall.

“We’re excited to bring this innovative hands-on program to our community!” said Kithy Chavez, Health Program Specialist with HSA. “This takes our pedestrian safety education from the classroom to the real world where students are crossing the street with new skills and confidence.

Program staff hope to grow the program across the County as funding allows through public and private sources and welcomes those interested in supporting or volunteering in the effort.

For more information on the Walk Smart program click here or contact Elise Ehrheart, Ecology Action, (831) 515-1324 or eehrheart(at)ecoact.org or Lynn Lauridsen, Heath Services Agency, (831) 454-5477 or lynn.lauridsen(at)santacruzcounty.us.