Pedestrian Safety: Safe Kids Walk This Way

Safe Kids Greater Dayton and Dayton Children's partner with Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx to teach safe behavior to motorists and child pedestrians and create safer, more walkable communities through the Safe Kids Walk This Way program. The goal of the initiative is to prevent pedestrian-related injury to children.

Locally, Safe Kids Greater Dayton partners with local schools districts to teach and reinforce key child pedestrian safety rules. Through this partnership, well over 3000 children and parents have been exposed to pedestrian safety throughout the Greater Miami Valley through the following programs:

International Walk to School Month which takes place every October to raise community and global awareness about children’s environmental safety and promote healthy behaviors.
Halloween events that teach children about being safe on the spookiest night of the year.

Safe Kids Greater Dayton also collaborates with our partners, including the City of Kettering who has worked to curtail parents from dropping children off in the streets and reduce double parking. Through this program, there was an increase in walkers, getting parents motivated and involved. This partnership created laminated maps with safe routes to school tied into math, science and other subjects.

Safe Kids Greater Dayton has also begun work with Dayton Public Schools, the Neighborhood School Centers and the local Safe Routes to Schools program to evaluate the walkability of Dayton neighborhoods to increase the safety for children walking to school.

Keep kids safe by following these Safe Kids Walk This Way tips:

Children under 10 should never cross the street alone. Hold the hand of an adult when crossing.
Older children should always cross streets at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks whenever possible.
Stop at the curb or the edge of the road before crossing the street.
Look left, right and left again for traffic before crossing, even if crossing with the light. Continue to look while crossing. Watch for cars that are turning or backing up.
Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them. Don’t assume that because you can see the driver, the driver can see you.
Wear bright-colored clothing during the day.
When walking at dawn, dusk or in bad weather, carry a flashlight and incorporate retro reflective materials on clothing, footwear and accessories.
Children should never walk without adult supervision at night.
Do not run into the street or run while crossing.
Walk facing traffic, as far to the left as possible, when sidewalks are not available.
Do not play in driveways, unfenced yards, streets or parking lots.
Cross the street at least 10 feet in front of a school bus.

Together we can make safe, walkable communities for our children.

If you would like to learn how your school can get involved in Safe Kids Walk This Way contact safekids@childrensdayton.org.

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