• How far is the walk? The greater the distance, the greater the risk of encountering traffic and safety hazards.
• How old is your child? Typically, children younger than 9 or 10 lack the judgment to walk safely in heavy traffic.
• What is the traffic pattern near the school? The volume and speed of traffic may not allow a safe route to school.
• Is the area safe, overall? High-crime areas create an unsafe environment and potentially dangerous situations.
• Are the roads well-lit and well-marked? Areas with adequately posted signs and traffic signals protect motorists and children.
• Are there crossing guards at major intersections? At intersections where many children cross, crossing guards can help to get them to the other side safely.

Making the Walk to School Safer

If you determine your child is responsible enough to walk to school and the route is reasonably safe, you can coach your children to be good pedestrians. Here's how:

• Familiarize your children with the route by walking it with them. Along the way, point out potential traffic hazards and situations to avoid.
• Have children walk in groups. With more eyes and ears, they can cross streets together and negotiate dangerous situations more safely. Getting an adult to walk with the group makes the trip even safer.
• Point out to children where it is safe to cross. They will remember what you model. Always use crosswalks.
• Teach children to visually scan driveways and parking lots for traffic. Remind children to take their time and look both ways when crossing streets, even when there is a well-marked crosswalk.

Staying Safe in Congested School Zones

Inadvertently, parents add to school zone hazards by contributing to congestion when they drop off and pick up their children. However, you can make some simple changes to your daily routine that will reduce the danger of your school zone.

Here are a few practical solutions:

• Do not park across the street from the school.
• If you must park across from the street, get out of your car and accompany your child through the crosswalk, to and from school.
• Use the existing drop-off/pick-up system organized by the school.
• If a drop-off/pick-up system does not exist or is poorly set up, work with the school officials to create or improve the system.
• Organize a carpool to reduce congestion.
• Teach children to walk - not run - across designated crosswalks.
• Obey school crossing guards and be sure your children know they should follow the direction of school safety patrol members.
• Make a family commitment to consistently use safety belts and child safety seats and booster seats.

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