Many of our GRPS students walk to and from school. Walking is a convenient means of transportation to a local school, and can provide daily opportunity to connect with your child during the commute before and after school. Whether you are walking with younger kids or your older kids are walking alone, it is important to make safety a priority. Here is some information provided by the National Center for Safe Routes to School on making the walk to school a safe trip:
- Choose the safest route to school- away from busy streets, fewest possible street crossings, routes with crossing guards, whenever possible
- Look for traffic at every driveway and intersection
- Walk together- with other adults and children
- Obey all traffic signs and signals
- Wear brightly colored clothes and carry a flashlight when it is dark in the early morning or late evening so that cars can see you
- Cross the street safely:
- Stop at the curb or edge of the street
- Look left, right, left, and behind you and in front of you for traffic
- Wait until no traffic is coming and begin crossing
- Keep looking for traffic until you have finished crossing
- Walk, don’t run across the street
Understand your child’s limitations- It will take time and practice for your child to develop the understanding of traffic. Children are not able to accurately judge the speed and distance of traffic. A young child may think that a car is able to stop, or able to see him, when it cannot. Whenever possible, especially with younger children, walk with them to school and help them to learn safety skills relating to traffic.
For more information visit: www.saferoutesinfo.org