Full Notification

County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works - Press Release

Student Safety Kick-off Event Monday at Russell Elementary School

Improved student safety while walking or bicycling to and from school will be the focus of attention during a series of special events to be held at several area elementary schools beginning next week.

The Los Angeles County Public Works Department, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Unified School District, has organized the events to promote safety and highlight its recently-updated Suggested Routes to School maps.

The kick-off event will take place this Monday, October 14th at 7 am on the campus of Russell Elementary School located at 1263 East Firestone Boulevard in the unincorporated community of Florence-Firestone.

The event will include costume characters, interactive role-playing for students and a miniature city with an intersection and traffic signs. Other highlights include tips on pedestrian safety, an explanation of traffic signs and signals, and the role of crossing guards.

The Suggested Routes to School maps cover 165 public schools located in the unincorporated areas of the County.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most recent national statistics, children 14 and younger account for 5 percent of all pedestrian fatalities, and 9 percent of all bicyclist fatalities. California state records for 2010 show that 18 pedestrians between 5 and 14 years old were killed and 1860 were injured. During the same period 4 bicyclists were killed and 1705 were injured in that age group.

For more information about the Suggested Routes to School program, call Guillermo Gonzalez at (626) 300-4782. To view the Suggested Routes to School maps on-line go to: http://www.ladpw.org/tnl/schoolroute/

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Media Contact:
Mike Kaspar (626) 703-2054
Public Information Officer
LA County Department of Public Works