Students have headed back to class, but have you talked with them about important safety rules as they travel to and from school?

“Transportation to school on a bus is a fun and exciting time for school-age children, however we want to keep them safe when doing so,” says Jocelyn Masotti, PA-C, with LVPG Pediatrics–Lehighton. “Young children are more impulsive and often don’t fully understand the dangers that can occur around traffic and boarding buses.

“ It is important to speak to your children about the best ways to stay safe while traveling this school year.”

Whether a child walks to school or takes the bus, parents and guardians should share these important safety tips with their children.

Walkers

Whether it’s to school or to the bus stop, children shouldn’t walk without an adult until they’re ready to.

Developmentally, children cannot judge speed or distance of driving vehicles until around age 10 or about fifth grade.

Until your child is ready to walk on their own, practice walking to school safely with them. “Walking to school is a great way to talk with your child and model behaviors about traffic and street safety,” says Masotti.

You can teach them to:

• Walk on the safest surface. Walk on sidewalks or paths whenever possible.

• Cross the street where drivers expect you. Cross the street at marked crosswalks or intersections, never mid-block. Always follow the instructions of the crossing guard or the walk/don’t walk signal.

• Make sure there is no oncoming traffic before crossing. Always look left, right and then left again before crossing the street.

• Avoid distracted walking. Never walk while using earbuds, texting or doing anything else that may prevent you from hearing traffic or distract your attention.

Bus riders

While everyone knows that passing a stopped school bus with its stop-arm out and its warning lights on is against the law, some drivers still do it, which puts kids at bus stops in harm’s way.

In hopes of deterring drivers from doing this, school districts across Pennsylvania have begun equipping their school buses with stop-arm enforcement cameras designed to detect vehicles that commit stop-arm violations.

Still, it’s important you review these bus stop safety tips to help keep your child safe:

• Wait in a safe spot. Stay away from traffic while awaiting the bus, being “10 feet or 10 giant steps from the curb,” says Masotti.

• Never run after the bus once it has left the bus stop. Create a backup plan for getting to school in case your child does miss the bus. This will help prevent them from chasing after it.

• Never cross the street behind the bus. Always walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus when crossing to help the bus driver and vehicle drivers see you.

Call 888-402-LVHN (5846) to schedule an appointment with LVPG Pediatrics–Lehighton.