Back to School Pedestrian Safety Tips | Louisiana, KY

August 11, 2014

This month, children across Louisiana and Indiana will return to school for the 2014-2015 academic year. Pedestrian accidents can be a tragic event for a family and can leave children badly injured. As a parent, you can teach and practice the following steps to help keep your child safe if he or she will be walking to school:

• Always use crosswalks where available.
• Wait for school buses to come to a complete stop before you and your child approach the bus.
• Teach your child to look left-right-left before crossing the street.
• Walk with your child to school if possible, and if not, make sure you walk the route at least a few times while your child memorizes it.

If you are wondering how you can be a better driver now that kids are back in school, consider these safe driving tips:

• Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. You will know if children are getting on or off because the school bus will turn on flashing red lights and extend a stop sign. If you are on an undivided road, you must stop even if you are going in the opposite direction than the bus.
• Look out for children when backing out of your driveway.
• Be cautious for children crossing the roads in and around school zones.

Exercising extra caution is a good first step to preventing serious pedestrian accidents.