The children are back in school and most of us believe they are very safe there. While that is generally true once they get inside the school building, it certainly is not true traveling to and from school, whether walking, biking, car pooling or riding a bus. The injury and death statistics are horrible.

In 2001, 669 children ages 14 and under died in pedestrian-related injuries. Surveys have shown that cross-walks near elementary and middle schools are in poor condition, that drivers do not stop at crosswalks, that drivers make illegal turns at crosswalks, that drivers exceed the posted speed, and that the posted speeds are too high. A large percentage of drivers do not stop at stop signs and some do not even slow down.

Riding bicycles to school also presents many hazards. In 2002, almost 300,000 children age 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle related injuries.

For those children riding buses to and from school, bus crashes have caused student deaths, nearly 50% of whom were between 5 and 7 years old. Injuries and deaths have been caused by the bus running over children in the blind spot in front of the bus. Childrens’ behavior at bus stops has resulted in additional injuries.

If you are the parent of a school age child, please talk to your child about safety. Talk to them about the rules of the road if they are walking, riding a bicycle, or driving to school. Talk to them about anticipating improper driving by other motorists. If they are riding a bus, talk to them about the blind spot in front of the bus, which generally extends about 10 feet in front of the bus. Talk to them about how to act at the bus stop and on the bus. You can’t stay with your children all day or put your children in a bubble to protect them, but talking about these things can help.

Lloyd W. Gathings