National Walk to School Day
October 5, 2009 -- Attorney General Six and the Kansas State Child Death Review Board encourage parents and children to participate in National Walk to School Day on Wednesday October 7th. Walk to School Day is a great way to educate youngsters about being a safe pedestrian while getting in some healthy exercise.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2007, an estimated 70,000 pedestrians nationwide were injured and 4,654 were killed. Nearly 20% of the fatalities were children between the ages of 5 to 9 years.
Teaching children to be responsible and safe pedestrians is important. Their size makes it difficult for drivers to see them and their developmental stage greatly affects their ability to judge the distance and speed of an oncoming car. Young children are especially at risk as they tend to be impulsive and need to be supervised when around roadways. If your child will be walking to a new school or other locations where they will be crossing roadways, walk with them the first week to make sure they know the route and can maneuver it safely. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families who live in neighborhoods with high levels of traffic start a “walking school bus,” in which an adult accompanies a group of neighborhood children walking to school.
Below are some tips to teach children on how to be safe pedestrians:
- Hold your child’s hand so she/he does not run into the street.
- Teach your child to cross with an adult or older friend. (Young children need to be supervised around traffic up to age 10).
- Cross at an intersection where there are signals.
- Use the crosswalk when crossing near a corner. Stop at the curb. Look left, right, left, and over your shoulder for traffic and watch for turning vehicles. Continue to look as you cross the street.
- Stop and look around parked cars or other objects that block the view of traffic.
- Let oncoming traffic pass, then look again before and as you are crossing.
- Make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see you.
- Encourage your child to dress in bright colored clothing so they will be more visible to drivers.
By participating in Walk to School Day parents and caregivers have the perfect opportunity to teach and practice safe pedestrian skills with their children.
The SCDRB is a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency board that examines the circumstances surrounding the deaths of all Kansas children (birth through 17 years-of-age) and children who are not Kansas residents, but who die in the state. The goals of the SCDRB are to describe the trends and patterns of child deaths in Kansas, to develop prevention strategies, and to improve sources of data and communication among agencies. The Board works toward lowering child deaths in Kansas through research, education, and legislation.
For additional information, visit the SCDRB website at http://www.ksag.org/Divisions/SCDRB.