Safety Letter to Parents
Dear USD 347 patrons,
As the academic year begins, busy parents and school buses will add to traffic congestion, making school zone safety that much more important. With more vehicles and children on the roads, even a small distraction when behind the wheel can lead to a disaster. Often kids don't understand the risks associated with being near or on roadways. It is easy to understand why the risk of accidents in and around school zones increases significantly.
More than 61 child pedestrians are injured every day severely enough to seek medical attention. More than 500 children are killed every year in the United States. Interestingly, the most at-risk age group has shifted since 1995 when 5-9 year olds sustained the most injuries, to today when teens are at greatest risk. The death rate among older teens is now twice that of younger children.
One suspected cause of this disturbing trend is distraction, since the increase in teen injuries seems to correlate with the prevalence of cell phone use, both among walkers and drivers.
With approximately 75 percent of 12-17 year-olds owning cell phones, it's important to talk to your children about putting phones away and paying attention when walking.
- Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
- Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.
- It's always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
- Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
- Be a good role model. Set a good example by putting your phone, headphones and devices down when walking around cars.
Drivers should shut off distractions, including music and cell phones when driving through school zones and areas around them, never take your eyes off the road if there are kids around, and always abide by the speed limits set for school zones.
Here is to a safe and rewarding school year,
Brandon Rice
Superintendent