If you live close enough to a school to walk, your child may sometimes choose this option over a bus ride. It’s common for kids to walk to school, but you may be concerned about safety if you live on a busy street or are simply nervous. Like anything else, allowing your child to walk to school isn’t entirely risk-free. There are ways to mitigate most risks, like pedestrian accidents or kidnappings. The average child walks to and from school every day without issue, however, by using these tactics.
Walk With Them
If you’re genuinely nervous about your child getting lost, kidnapped, or struck by a vehicle, you can always choose to accompany them on their walk to and from school. You can walk with them for the first few days or weeks to get them used to following traffic rules and the route. Once they’re used to the routine and rules of the road, you can cease accompanying them if you’d like.
Stick to the Sidewalks
One of the most important ways to mitigate accidents is to stay in the appropriate lane. For pedestrians, the best place to walk is the sidewalk. Many public roads have sidewalks to allow safe pedestrian crossing. If the streets do not have sidewalks, walk on the road’s edge as much as possible. Most laws and officials suggest walking on the side of the road that faces oncoming traffic to increase your visibility unless biking or rollerblading.
Teach Familiar Routes
There are typically multiple ways to walk to a given location, but some are safer than others. You will want to teach your child the safest, most reliable routes. While busy areas can help keep a child safer than isolated areas, busy streets can also increase the risk of pedestrian accidents. Make sure the walking route you choose is relatively walkable and safe. You should teach your child the importance of sticking to familiar routes to and from home.
High-Visibility Equipment
A pedestrian accident is more likely to occur in low-visibility conditions, such as fog, rain, or night. While your child may not be walking at night all the time, the sun may not have risen by the time your child has to walk to school. By wearing bright-colored or reflective clothing or backpacks, you can increase your visibility to drivers in these conditions. You can also equip a backpack or belt with LED lights to signal to drivers that you are walking nearby. Pedestrians in darker clothing at night are nearly invisible to drivers, especially for smaller ones like children. High-visibility equipment can be the difference between life and death.
Hold Hands
When first teaching your child road safety, you can hold their hand to ensure they stick close to you. It’s easy for a young child to get distracted and run out into harm’s way. By holding your hand, they cannot stray far from you. Some parents opt for hand-holding only when crossing the street, which is another excellent choice. Your child will practice sticking by you when crossing the street, and they’ll be able to mimic your behavior when they walk independently.
Find a Crosswalk
It may seem easier to cross the street whenever you’d like, but finding a crosswalk makes it easier to wait and cross safely during a break in traffic. If you can get to a crosswalk or pedestrian crossing corner, you should do so. Teach your child to press traffic crosswalk buttons appropriately to ensure the traffic light allows you to cross. They should also look in all directions thoroughly before crossing the street, regardless of what the traffic lights indicate.
Don’t Run
Running may seem like a faster way to reach a destination, but children should avoid it until they can safely navigate their route. Running can lead to tripping, which is especially dangerous on a road without sidewalks. However, running may be a good option when trying to escape hazardous people—in this case, you should only teach children to run if they are in danger from someone.
Walk in Groups
Teach your child to walk with their sibling, friend, or a group of kids for safety. A group of children is less targetable than a single child, and children can hold each other accountable for road safety. If there is no one to walk with your child, you can walk with them at first.
Bring a Phone or Personal Alarm
While children may not need a smartphone, having a way to communicate danger is always an excellent choice. You can give your child an emergency phone, personal alarm, or whistle to use in case of any suspicious activity or people.
Get Driver Attention
Your child may be safer if they learn to get drivers’ attention before crossing the street. Waving or making eye contact with a driver should be enough to let them know they are there and looking to cross the street. Getting a driver’s attention may not be necessary at stoplights, but it can increase the chances of safety.
Consider Defensive Tools
While you hope your child will never need to defend themselves, especially since running is the best option, you may live in an unsafe area or have added anxiety about your child walking alone. When they are old enough to use a defensive tool safely and responsibly, you can give them one, such as a personal pepper spray can or a small taser.