School's in Session - Watch Out for the Kids!

School started yesterday in Lakewood and thousands of kids have taken to the sidewalks to head to school. Lakewood does not transport their students to school so the students either walk or drive — pedestrian safety is especially important.

From 7:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and again from 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. the sidewalks are full of students commuting to and from school.

Safekids.org suggests talking with your children about pedestrian safety. It’s particularly important to discuss with teenagers as they are more likely to be wearing earbuds or talking on phones while walking.

Here are some great tips to discuss.

• Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
• It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.
• Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
• Encourage kids to be especially alert for cars that are turning or backing up.
• Teach kids not to run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
• If kids are walking when it’s dark out, teach them to be especially alert and make sure they are visible to drivers. Have them wear light- or brightly-colored clothing and reflective gear.
• Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce the message with teenagers.
• Pull headphones down or turn off the volume before crossing the street.
• Be aware of others who may be distracted and speak up when you see someone who is in danger.
• If kids need to use a cell phone, teach them to stop walking and find a safe area to talk.

Now that school is back in session, let's keep everyone safe!

Photo by Rick Uldricks/Patch