5 Back-To-School Street Safety Reminders For Students

Every day, 44 children are hit by a vehicle while walking -- whether they’re walking to school, to the bus stop or for any other reason. In 2013, 16,000 children were injured when they were hit by a vehicle while walking. More than 440 children were killed, according to officials from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

With school back in session, now is a good time for parents and caregivers to talk to children about walking safely.

“Parents know to teach their children to look left, look right and look left again before crossing the street, but that’s just the beginning,” said Diana Starace, injury prevention program coordinator at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and coordinator of Safe Kids Middlesex County.

“As kids get older, they’re walking on their own, crossing unfamiliar streets and are out when it’s dark. With just a few more simple tips, kids will be much safer outdoors.”

Safe Kids offers five tips to help keep kids safe on the road:

• Teach kids at an early age to look left, look right and look left again before crossing the street. Remind them to continue looking until safely across.
• Teach kids -- particularly teenagers -- to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. They can be distracting.
• 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 age 10 should 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.
• If kids are walking when it’s dark out, teach them to be especially alert and make sure they are visible to drivers. Have them wear light- or brightly-colored clothing and reflective gear.

(Parent and child walking, “Shadows,” by David Amsler, via Creative Commons)