| Back to School | |
Since many children will be going back-to-school after the Labor Day Weekend, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss a very serious problem many of our children face daily on their way to school: dangerous road crossings. Tragically, studies have found that "school-age pedestrians are the group at greatest risk of being involved in an accident." As parents, there are steps we can take to make sure our children, and all children, arrive and return safely from school.
Too Close To Home
Recently, a nine-year old neighborhood girl named Erica was tragically struck by a van and killed about 2 blocks away from our home. She was on her way to school, and had to cross a very busy intersection by herself. Ever since this accident occurred, a group of concerned parents, including myself, have
volunteered to help cross the children in the morning and afternoon. Most of us are stay-at-home parents with children of our own who cross this very dangerous intersection.
Making a Difference
What Can We ALL Do?
Related Web Links
The above photo is used courtesy of , and copyright of The Yuma Daily Sun, editor Terry L. Ross, and was taken by Charles Whitehouse.
Can parents make a difference? I believe we can. Our parent support group has received a lot of media attention in the last few days. Our local newspaper, The Yuma Daily Sun, ran a front page story on Tuesday, August 26th, detailing our efforts. (The picture on the right shows me, in an orange vest, escorting a student across the intersection.) Two of our local TV stations, KYMA (NBC) and KSWT (CBS) have sent reporters to the intersection this week to report on our efforts to keep our children safe. These news stories have been featured prominently on our local news. And now, I just learned that thanks to our efforts, the local school district and city officials are doing traffic studies at this intersection! I'm not sure what will happen; the children in our neighborhood who attend the same school as my children have bus service. But, the school that Erica, the little girl killed, attended, provides NO bus service.
Teach your children to look left, then right, then left again before EVER crossing a street, even if they have the right of way. Don't assume that because you have taught your children these rules that they will always remember to follow them. Insist on adult supervision at crosswalks.
Before turning into a crosswalk, look very carefully for pedestrians, especially during school hours.
This is hard, but kids need to learn to look and make sure that drivers see them BEFORE they enter an intersection. Children have a tendency to dart into an intersection once they have the "ok" sign to walk. This can lead to tragedy.
For any parent who has suffered the loss of a child, this beautifully done site is a must see. Very supportive of a parent's loss of a child. Bring some tissues before you visit this site.
Read how Vancouver's parent volunteers and local police have joined forces to make their children safe.
Find out how you can become involved with your kids' school. We CAN make a difference!
