Bus Stop Safety

Tips for Bus Stop Safety

Tips for Walking and Biking Safely

Walking and biking to and from school can be a great way to get exercise, interact with your children, and teach them lifelong traffic safety skills. Know your child’s abilities and remember your child’s limitations. Children under 10 years of age are developmentally limited when it comes to judging speed and distance accurately.

Walking
Teach, practice, and remind children to:

• Walk with an adult or responsible older child at all times.
• Children under 10 years old should cross the street only with an adult.
• Walk on the sidewalk if there is one.
• Walk facing the traffic, as far from the road/traffic as possible, if no sidewalk is available.
• Use traffic signals and marked crosswalks if available.
• Stop at the curb or edge of the road and look left, right and left for traffic before crossing the street.
• Walk; don’t run.
• Give drivers time to see you before crossing the street.
• Keep looking for cars while you are crossing.
• Wear white clothing or reflectors when walking in the dark or in low light.

Biking (Bicycles are vehicles and riders must follow Florida Traffic Laws.)
Teach, practice, and remind children to:

• Always wear a helmet that is properly fitted.
• Whenever possible, ride with an adult or responsible older student.
• Always obey all traffic signs and signals.
• Ride on the right side of the road or trail in a single file (one bicycle behind another).
• Ride in the same direction as other vehicles.
• Go straight across railroad tracks.
• Always use proper hand signals when turning and stopping.
• Yield to pedestrians and alert them with a bicycle bell or your voice when passing.

Florida Safe Routes to School

Walking and bicycling are common ways for children to travel to and from school, but are also effective ways to reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, and other health issues. Florida Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a statewide program, funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, with the goal of making it safer for more children to walk and bicycle to school. Florida SRTS funds projects that address unsafe or lack of infrastructure, as well as programs that promote walking and bicycling through education/encouragement programs aimed at children, parents, and the community.

Walking School Bus

A walking school bus (WSB) is a group of children walking to/from school under adult supervision. A WSB provides physical activity, teaches pedestrian safety skills, and provides supervision to help reduce concerns about children traveling to/from school. With increased school transportation budget cuts, many districts have eliminated courtesy bussing. As a result, the number of students walking/bicycling to and/or from school and those driven by parents has steadily increased. To help reduce traffic congestion around schools, walking school buses offer a practical option for those living near school.