October 2, 2019 is International Walk and Bike to School Day. Be sure to use extra caution when traveling the roads in your area. Now is also a good time to discuss back to school safety tips with your kids.
Although walking and biking provide aerobic benefits, there are safety risks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2017, 5,977 pedestrians and 783 bicyclists were killed in crashes involving a vehicle. These fatalities account for more than 18% of all fatalities on the road. With statistics such as these, it is important that your children walk and bike defensively.
Below are some tips to prevent serious injury for walkers and bikers:
Walkers:
- Avoid using the main road. Make sure your child’s route has plenty of sidewalks. If your child must use the main roads, they must walk against traffic.
- Look both ways before crossing the street.
- Put the phone down. Your child’s eyes should be on the road and not on the phone. While this applies to any part of your child’s walk, nowhere is this more important than in crosswalks.
- Cross only at marked intersections and designated crosswalk areas.
Bikers:
- Do not ride bikes while wearing headphones. Not only will it prevent your child from quickly responding to any hazards in the road, it is also illegal under Pennsylvania law. 75 Pa. 3314 (2018).
- The rule listed in #1 is true for phones, too. Your child should not be biking while on the phone.
- Plan a route for your child that avoids using the main roads. Have your child bike to school using bike paths and low speed traffic zones.
- Bikers must follow the rules of the road like other drivers. This means that your child must obey all traffic control devices, like stop signs and traffic lights.
Following these tips will help protect your child from serious injury. However, this list of back to school safety tips is not exhaustive. For more information and back to school safety tips in Carlisle, PA, please visit the NHTSA link on this topic, here. Happy travels!
This article is not legal advice. For legal advice, call Graham & Mauer, P.C. today.