By Alana Mauger
The American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region offers these checklists for parents and drivers to help ensure students are safe as they head back to the classroom.
Tips for parents
Young children/first-time students
If your child is young, especially if they are going to school for the first time, make sure they know:
- Their phone number, address, how to get in touch with their parents at work, how to get in touch with another trusted adult and how to dial 911.
- Not to talk to strangers or accept rides from someone they don’t know.
Transportation Safety
Whether children walk, ride their bikes or take the school bus, it’s important they take proper safety precautions. Here are some tips to help ensure your child travels to and from school safely.
Walkers
Review your family’s walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child. Teach them to:
- Walk on the sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing traffic.
- Stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.
- Cross the street at the corner, obey traffic signals and stay in the crosswalk.
- Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Bus riders
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), buses are the safest mode of transportation for school children. If your student takes the bus to school, teach them to:
- Get to their bus stop early and stand away from the curb while waiting for the bus to arrive.
- Board the bus only after it has come to a complete stop and the driver or attendant has instructed them to get on. And only board their bus, never an alternate one.
- Stay in clear view of the bus driver and never walk behind the bus.
Bikers
Make sure your child knows the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to and from school with your child. Teach them to:
- Always wear a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing.
- Ride on the right side of the road in the same direction as the traffic is going; ride single file.
- Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street.
Adult drivers
If you or another adult drives your child to school, follow these best practices:
- Always wear a seat belt. Younger children should use car or booster seats until the vehicle’s lap-shoulder belt fits properly (typically for children ages 8-12 and over 4’9”); children should always ride in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old.
- Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school’s drop-off procedure. Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles. Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school
- Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street.
- Never pass a bus loading or unloading children.
Teen drivers
Car crashes are the top cause of death for teens. Fortunately, many accidents are preventable. Take these actions:
- Practice with new drivers every week, before and after they get their license.
- Set a good example; drive the way you would want your teen to drive.
- Have them sign NSC’s New Driver Deal, an agreement that helps define expectations for parents and teens
- Teach them to never use their cell phone or text or make calls while driving (now a law in Pennsylvania) and avoid eating and drinking while driving.
School safety
Many school-related injuries are completely preventable. Follow these steps to ensure your child’s safety at school.
Backpacks
Choose a backpack for your child carefully; look for one with features that enhance safety and comfort. Follow these tips:
- Ask your child to use both straps when wearing their backpack to evenly distribute the weight on their shoulders.
- Don’t overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 5% to 10% of your child’s body weight.
- Rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create a trip hazard in crowded school hallways.
Playground and sports
Bumps and bruises can be expected, but steps can be taken to reduce the risk or harm or injury. Make sure children:
- Leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home to reduce strangulation hazards on the playground.
- Always wear sport-appropriate protective gear, like helmets, protective pads, etc.
- Warm up before and cool down after practices and games.
- Know the location of the closest first aid kit and automated external defibrillator (AED).
Cell phones
If your child has a cell phone, download the free Red Cross First Aid and Emergency apps to give them access to first aid tips for common emergencies and real-time weather alerts. Find the apps by searching for the American Red Cross in your favorite app store or going to redcross.org/apps.
Tips for drivers
School buses
It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Follow these road rules:
- Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is getting ready to stop ─ slow down and be prepared to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign indicate the bus is stopped and children are getting on or off.
- The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.
- Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting a bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
- Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. This includes two and four-lane highways.
- If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping. Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
Pedestrians
According to NSC, most fatal bus-related incidents happen when children are walking. They are hit by the bus or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. Follow these precautions to keep children safe:
- Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic.
- In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection.
- Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign.
- Don’t honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way.
- Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians,
Bicyclists
On most roads, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as those driving motor vehicles. However, bikes can be hard to see, and children riding bikes are especially worrisome because they may not be able to properly understand traffic conditions. According to the NCS, the most common cause of collision is a driver turning left in front of a bicyclist. Follow these tips to keep cyclists safe:
- When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between your car and the cyclist.
- When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the rider to pass.
- If you’re turning right and a bike is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider go through the intersection first, and always use your turn signals.
- Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling; kids especially have a tendency to do this.
- Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars.
- Check side mirrors before opening your door.
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