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BACK TO SCHOOL: 5 THINGS EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO KNOW

Here is an alarming statistic: Every day 44 kids are hit by a car while walking in the United States. That’s 16,000 kids hurt every year.

Clearly, something needs to be done, and Safe Kids and FedEx are teaming up to help keep kids safe on the road as they head back to school.

Parents know to teach young children to look left, right, left before crossing the street, but that’s really just the beginning.” Older kids are walking on their own, crossing unfamiliar streets and are walking when it’s dark, so they need to know how to take extra precautions.

Here are 5 tips every parent needs to know, and needs to teach their children to help keep them safe while 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.
If kids are walking when it’s dark out, teach them to be especially alert and make sure they are visible to drivers. Have them wear light- or brightly-colored clothing and reflective gear.

Help us spread the word on social media. Together we can reach more parents and children and teach kids how to walk safely. Click on the image below or simply copy and paste the text into your social media pages.