North Carolina Celebrates 'National Walk Our Children to School Day'; GHSP is Joined By Hickory Leaders to Walk Elementary Students to School
4 October 2000
North Carolina Celebrates 'National Walk Our Children to School Day'; GHSP is Joined By Hickory Leaders to Walk Elementary Students to School
HICKORY, N.C., Oct. 4 Whether riding a bus, a bicycle, or
just using your two feet, today's students have a variety of options to make
their trip to and from school as simple as possible -- but that doesn't mean
it's any safer. Busy intersections, speeding vehicles and increased traffic
are common dangers many youths face on their way to school.
To encourage children to take traffic safety seriously on their way to and
from school, as well as at all other times, state and local officials joined
students and faculty at Oakwood Elementary School in Hickory today to
celebrate "National Walk Our Children to School Day." The event, sponsored by
the Partnership for a Walkable America, focused on the benefits of walking
while emphasizing the critical need to reduce the number of injuries and
fatalities that occur when students travel to school.
"Whether a child is walking to school, riding a bike, or being driven in a
car, they should be aware of the various, and oftentimes complex, traffic
situations they are likely to encounter," said Joe Parker, director of the
Governor's Highway Safety Program. "We must do more right now to learn how to
make your commute, your child's commute, or your student's commute to and from
school as safe as it can possibly be."
Parker accompanied Oakwood Elementary students on their walk to school.
He was joined by Hickory Mayor Pro-Tem Z. Ann Hoyle, Hickory Police Chief
Floyd Lucas, Hickory City Schools Superintendent Duane Kirkman, Oakwood
Elementary School Principal Ann Stalnaker, and "Vince and Larry," the Crash-
Test Dummies. Hickory was one of hundreds of cities across the nation
involving mayors, city leaders, parents, and children in a "Walk Our Children
to School" event during the week of Oct. 2.
Transportation Secretary David McCoy also participated in a similar "Walk
Our Children to School Day" event, which was held this morning at Estes Hill
Elementary School in Chapel Hill.
Statistics show that 10 percent of all highway fatalities in North
Carolina last year were pedestrians -- 6 percent of those were children under
10 years of age. Nationwide, injury to pedestrians is the second-leading
cause of unintentional injury-related death among children age 5 to 14 years
old.
"I know all too well what it's like to be on the scene of a traffic
crash," Chief Lucas said. "As if that isn't horrifying enough at times, I'm
sure you can imagine it's even worse when there is a child involved. This is
why it's so important to get parents, teachers and students alike to recognize
the importance of traffic safety."
Chief Lucas offered these safety tips to parents and students:
Walking to school
Parents should:
* Spend time walking with their children and observe how they deal with
traffic.
* Choose the route to school or the bus stop that is the safest for their
child. Take the same route every day and avoid short cuts.
* Remind children to demonstrate proper pedestrian behavior. It's
extremely important for them to look left-right-left.
* Remind children to walk on the left on streets and roads without
sidewalks, and always walk facing traffic.
* Pick the place where their child will cross the street. Never enter the
street from between parked cars or from behind brushes or shrubs. Cross
streets at corners. Use traffic signals and crosswalks
whenever possible.
* Provide their children with bright clothing so motorists can easily see
them.
Riding in a bus to school
If possible, an adult should be close to the bus stop at all times, and
children should be reminded to:
* Stay out of the street and avoid horseplay while waiting for the bus.
* Walk immediately onto the sidewalk and out of traffic after getting off
the bus.
* Watch for crossarms and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop
before approaching.
* Finally, never cross the street behind a school bus.
Riding a bicycle to school
* The No. 1 rule is to always wear a bike helmet. Head injury is the
leading cause of death in bicycle crashes. Bicycle helmets can reduce
the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent.
* Ride with traffic.
* Wear bright clothes or reflective safety gear.
Riding in a passenger vehicle to school
* If the child is less than 5 years old and less than 40 pounds, make sure
the child is properly buckled up in a weight-appropriate child safety
seat -- in the back seat -- if the vehicle has an active front
passenger-side airbag. If the child is under age 16, make sure they are
buckled in all seating positions at all times.
* In addition, safety experts say that all children under the age of 12
should ride in the back seat, and that children weighing from 40 to 80
pounds (usually 4 to 8 years of age) should ride in a booster seat.
* Beginning December 1, anyone who fails to properly restrain their
children in accordance with the above law will receive two points on his
or her driver's license.