Safety Tips for Families Walking or Biking to School
- Before school begins, walk the routes your children will walk or bike to school to point out potential dangers and safe havens if they need help.
- Teach your children to be wary of strangers and to report any suspicious activity to a trusted adult or 911. It's never okay to accept a ride without parent's permission—even from people who they know.
- Since there is safety in numbers, urge your children to walk or bike with a buddy.
- Insist that your children wear bike helmets and teach them the bicycle rules of the road.
- Make sure your child's bike is safe; check the brakes, reflectors, and chain guard or take it to a bike shop for a checkup.
- Encourage your children to be highly visible by wearing bright, light-colored clothing.
- Urge your children to walk against traffic and to ride bikes with the traffic whenever possible.
- Teach your children to cross streets only at marked crosswalks and to watch for turning vehicles. They should make eye contact with drivers before stepping out and they should always look both ways before crossing.
- It's not safe to wear headphones because you may be unable to hear approaching vehicles.
- Children under 10 should cross the street with an adult or older child.
- Teach children to look around parked cars or other objects blocking their view before they cross the street.
These tips are provided by local law enforcement agencies.