Review: Back to School Safety For Your Children

Football season, fresh school supplies and a change of weather; prepping for a new school year is always exciting. However, you should also prepare your children by teaching them safe transportation habits that prevent injury or accidents. Whether they are walking to school on their own for the first time, or riding bikes with friends, teach them how to be safe with our safety tips below.

Walking Safety Tips:

Walking to school is a great way for children to release energy prior to a long school day; however, they also need to be aware of their surroundings and get to and from school safely. Follow these quick tips to keep them safe:

  • Review the safest route with your children and practice it prior to letting them do it by themselves.
  • Remember, there are strength in numbers! Try to get a walking group of students from your neighborhood to walk to school together.
  • Set defined rules. Make sure they avoid talking to strangers and come directly home after school.

 

Biking Safety Tips:

In 2010, 18% of bicyclists injured in motor vehicle crashes were 14 and younger. The best way to protect your child when biking to and from school are to make them have a good grasp on traffic safety rules and a properly fitted helmet. Do the following to make sure your children stay safe:

  • Explain to your children that wearing a helmet is just part of the gear, just like football or skiing. Helmets reduce head injury risk by up to 85%.
  • Find the safest route to school and practice it with your children.
  • Teach them the proper hand signals so they can let others on the road where they are going.

School Bus Safety Tips:

School buses are the safest way for children to get to and from school and over 23 million students use buses each day. However, the bus is only safe if your children know how to safely ride it. To teach them, review the below tips:

  • Go to the bus stop with your children so they know where it is.
  • Be aware of the bus “danger zone”, which is 10 feet in front of, behind, and on each side of the bus.
  • Make sure the bus driver can see you at all times and never walk behind the bus where you are not visible.

We hope you all have a safe and happy school year!

References: 1, 2, 3

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