Full Notification

Does Your child know how to be a safe pedestrian?

Walking Safely

Walking to school with your child is a great and healthy way to spend time together. Use this time to teach your child how to be a safe pedestrian.

Stick Together. Your child should walk with you or another responsible adult, and a group of other children, whenever possible.

Be Visible. To be seen more easily by oncoming traffic, children should walk on a sidewalk when one is available, or they should walk facing traffic if there is no sidewalk. Your child should also wear bright-colored clothing to be more visible to cars. If children have to walk at night, they should carry flashlights.

Use caution when crossing.
Children 9 or younger should always cross the street with an adult. The safest place for your child to cross the street is at a street corner or intersection. Intersections often offer crosswalks with pedestrian traffic signals, so help your child learn what the signals mean. They should never rely solely on the signals, though. At any street crossing, before stepping off the curb, your child should stop and look left-right-left to see if any cars are coming.
Young children may need to learn "left" and "right" before using this skill. Help your child make a letter "L" with the thumb and first finger on your child’s left hand. This can help your child remember which way to look first. When no cars are coming from either direction, it is safe for your child to cross the street. Remind your child to walk, not run, and to keep looking for traffic until safely across the street.