Every year school buses carry around 24 million students and travel more than four billion miles, but experts say riding the school bus is still the safest way for your children to get to school. Whether your children ride the bus, walk or bicycle to school, protect them with these safety tips.
Walking
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 1 in 3 children that live a mile or less from school walk. Walking to school can be a great way to get daily exercise and let children share a healthy activity with their parent.
Children should always walk with an adult or a buddy and follow a pre-planned route that you have previously reviewed for safety. Instruct children to always obey traffic signals and traffic laws. Encourage children to put their electronic devices away and pay attention to their surroundings. Safe Kids Worldwide studied 34,000 kids and found that 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 8 middle school students crossed the street while distracted by technology. Urge your kids to put away the cell phone, MP3 player or IPOD while walking to school.
Bicycling
Bicycling to school is a fun way for kids to get daily exercise, but it carries its own safety concerns. Bike riders should always wear a properly-fitting helmet approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and clothing that makes them visible to cars.
The safest way to bicycle is in the street with traffic, following the same rules as a car. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions that most children under 10 are not mature enough to ride bicycles in the street and should ride on the sidewalks, with adult supervision. Whether you allow your children to ride on the sidewalk or in the street, remind them to always watch out for cars and to follow traffic signals. Encourage them to stay on a straight path, and signal when turning or stopping. They should stop at all intersections and look both ways before entering or crossing the street.
Check their bikes frequently to make sure they are the right size, the handlebars are at the right height, the brakes are functioning appropriately, reflectors are in place, the chain is oiled, and the tires are properly inflated.
Riding The Bus
Although riding a bus is the safest way to get to school, getting on and off the bus presents a "danger zone" for your children. Remind your children to always look both ways before crossing the street to the bus. Teach them to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop, for the door to open and for the driver to signal that it is safe before they cross in front of a bus to board. Urge them to never walk behind the bus or to stop to pick up a dropped item. They should always stay within the driver's view.
Urge them to be careful climbing on and off the bus. Teach them to never stick anything out a bus window, including their arms. Remind them not to play around on the bus, but to sit quietly in their seat and not distract the driver.
For more information call the McDonald County Health Department at 417-223-7122 or by visiting www.mcdonaldcountyhealth.com.
Sports on 08/21/2014