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(August 22, 2006, ST. PAUL, Minn) - Back-to-school means back to basics of pedestrian safety, as morning and afternoon rush hours swell with more walkers, drivers and school buses. The Minnesota Safety Council encourages parents and other caregivers to review walking routes, passenger safety and their own behavior to reduce the risk of traffic injuries to children.
"As kids head back to school, it's important for parents to review safe routes to school and remind children of basic pedestrian and passenger safety rules," said Erin Petersen, family safety coordinator for the Minnesota Safety Council. Adults should also be alert to their power as role models, she said, and can influence children by demonstrating safe behavior when crossing streets and buckling up in vehicles.
The Minnesota Safety Council recommends the following back-to-school basics:
Walking to school
- Choose the safest route and walk it with your children to identify safety issues and observe children's behavior.
- If possible, choose routes with school safety patrols.
- Children under age 10 should walk with an adult or older child.
Teach children to:
- cross at the corner
- obey all traffic signals and markings
- look left-right-left for oncoming traffic before crossing
- make eye contact with stopped drivers before crossing
Driving children to school
- Buckle children in child safety seats, booster seats or seat belts as appropriate for the child's size. Children are typically ready for seat belts when they are about eight years old and four feet nine inches tall.
- Never carry more passengers than there are seat belts in the vehicle.
- Drop off children as close to school as possible so they don't have to cross the street, and make sure they enter and leave the car on the curb side.
- Pick up children at a safe spot away from the congestion of cars around the school.
School bus safety
- Teach children about the 10-foot danger zone around the school bus, where the driver can't see them on the ground. If walking in front of the bus, children should take eight giant steps away from the bus to be sure the driver can see them.
- While waiting for the bus, kids should stay out of the street.
While on the bus, children should:
- remain seated at all times and keep the aisles clear.
- not throw objects, shout or distract the driver.
- keep head and arms inside the bus at all times.
The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional deaths and injuries.
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