NOTICES
Back-to-School Tips
for Parents
0 Be sure your child knows his or her
home phone number (including area
code) and address, your work number,
the number of another trusted adult, and
how to use 911 for emergencies. Make
sure your child has enough change to
make a phone call or that they carry a
telephone calling card.
0 Plan a walking route to school or the bus
stop. Choose the most direct way with
the fewest street crossings and use
intersections with crossing guards. Test
the route with your child. Tell him or her
to stay away from parks, vacant lots,
fields, and other places where there
aren’t many people around.
0 Teach children (whether walking, biking,
or riding the bus to school) to obey all
traffic signals, signs, traffic officers, and
safety patrols. Remind them to be
extra careful in rainy, foggy, or
snowy weather.
0 Make sure they walk to and from school
with others - a friend, neighbor, brother,
or sister.
0 When car pooling, drop off and pick up
children as close to school as possible.
Don’t leave until they have entered the
schoolyard or building.
0 Teach your child never to talk to
strangers or accept rides or gifts from
strangers. Remember that a stranger is
anyone you or your children don’t know
well or don’t trust.
If your child is home alone for a few
hours after school:
** Set up rules for locking doors and
windows and for answering the door
or telephone.
» Make sure he or she checks in with you
or a neighbor immediately after school.
** Agree on rules for inviting friends over
and for going to a friend’s house when
no adult is home.
Take time to listen carefully to children’s
fears and feelings about people or places
that scare them or make them feel uneasy.
Tell them to trust their instincts.
Take complaints about bullies and other
concerns seriously.
16
Back-to-School Safety Tips
Riding the Bus
School bus transportation is safe. In fact, buses are safer than cars! Even so,
approximately 26 students were killed and another 9,000 injured last year in incidents
involving school buses. More often than not, these deaths and injuries didn’t occur in a
crash, but as the pupils were entering and exiting the bus. Remember these safety tips:
❖ Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
❖ Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you
to enter.
* When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk 10 giant steps away from the bus. Keep
a safe distance between you and the bus. Also remember that the bus driver can see
you best when you are away from the bus.
* Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
❖ Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it’s okay to approach.
❖ Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of
the road concerning school buses, but not all do. Protect yourself and watch out!
Walking and Biking to School
Even if you don’t ride in a motor vehicle, you still have to protect yourself. Because of
minimal supervision, young pedestrians face a wide variety of decision-making situations
and dangers while walking to and from school. Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:
¿ 2 Mind all traffic signals and/or crossing guards. Never cross the street against a light,
even if you don’t see any traffic coming.
¿
2 Walk your bike through intersections.
<Q Walk with a buddy.
¿ 1 Wear reflective material. It makes you more visible to street traffic.
Riding in a Car
L
You might have heard before that most traffic crashes occur close to home. They do.
Safety belts are the best form of protection that passengers have in the event of a
crash. They can lower your risk of injury by 45 percent.
You are four times more likely to be seriously injured or killed if ejected from the vehicle
in a crash.
Everyone needs to be buckled up properly. This means older kids in seat belts, younger
kids in booster seats, and little kids in child safety seats.
National Safety Council www.nsc.org
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