How Will My Kids Get to School Safely This Year?

This school year, just like every other, an estimated 22,000,000 kids will either walk, or be transported back and forth, to schools across the United States. Unfortunately, in all of that traveling, accidents do happen. As a responsible parent, you have to ask yourself: "How will my kids get to school safely this year?"

Whether your kids walk or peddle their bike a short distance to school, ride a school bus, or are transported in a car, they need to be taught rules that will help ensure their safety while they are traveling to and from school.

1. If Your Kids Walk to School...
If your kids walk a short distance to school, they need to know the rules of the road. Your kids will have a better chance of getting to school safely this year if they walk in pairs instead of alone. Not only are two kids easier to see, but there definitely is "safety in numbers." Sexual predators tend to prey on kids who are alone.

Before they take off walking on their first day of school, teach your kids the basic pedestrian laws. Make sure they know to "stop, look, and listen" before they cross a roadway. That means, they should stop, look to the left, and then look to the right, then back to the left again. They should also listen to hear if a vehicle is coming if they are standing on a hill or in other area where the visibility isn't clear.

On city streets, make sure they know they have to listen to the crossing guard and only cross the streets at the crosswalks. If there is no crossing guard, instruct your kids to only cross the streets when the traffic light is red on their side. They should never walk against the light.

Also, your kids need to watch for school buses, as well as other vehicles, in order to walk to school safely this year.

2. If Your Kids Peddle A Bike to School...
If your kids peddle a bike to school, you as a responsible parent will need to make sure they know the basic rules of the road that pertain to bikers. For example, for safety, they should walk their bikes across intersections instead of riding them. They'll need to know and use the hand signals for making left and right turns. And, they need to know that they have to yield to pedestrians and other vehicles.