Safety Tips

Back to School Safety Tips

It won’t be long and school will be starting again. It is time to go over a few, simple rules.  Practice with your host children how to safely wait for and board the school bus. Go over safe bicycling procedures if they’ll be riding. And don’t forget children who are in your car. They are at particular risk and need your guidance.

School_Bus_Cartoon_1

Riding the Bus

  • Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
  • Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
  • When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus. Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus.
  • Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
  • Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it’s okay to approach.
  • Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do.

crossing street2

Walking and biking to school

Even if you don’t ride in a motor vehicle, you still have to protect yourself. Because of minimal supervision, young pedestrians face a wide variety of decisions making situations and dangers while walking to and from school. Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:

  • Mind all traffic signals and/or the crossing guard — never cross the street against a light, even if you don’t see any traffic coming.
  • Walk your bike through intersections.
  • Walk with a buddy.

Wear reflective material…it makes you more visible to street traffic.

Riding in a car

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Safety belts are the best form of protection passengers have in the event of a crash. They can lower your risk of injury by 45%. You are four times more likely to be seriously injured or killed if ejected from the vehicle in a crash.

Remember: One Person – One Belt

  • Everybody needs a child safety seat, booster seat, or safety belt!
  • There must be one safety belt for each person. Buckling two people, even children, into one belt could injure both.
  • Everyone needs to be buckled up properly. That means older kids in seat belts, younger kids in booster seats and little kids in child safety seats.
  • The back seat is the safest place in a crash. Children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in back. Infants riding rear-facing must NEVER be placed in front of an airbag.
  • People who are not buckled up can be thrown from the car or around inside the car, and seriously hurt themselves or others.
  • Never hold a child on your lap! You could crush him/her in a crash, or the child may be torn from your arms.
  • Never ride in the cargo area of a station wagon, van, or pickup! Anyone riding in the cargo area could be thrown out and severely injured or killed.
  • No one seat is ‘best’, The ‘best’ child safety seat is the one that fits your child and can be installed correctly.

CHOOSING AND USING THE CORRECT SEAT

AGE: Birth to 1 year
WEIGHT: Up to 35 pounds
TYPE OF SEAT: Infant-only or Rear-facing Convertible
DIRECTION TO FACE: Infants should ride rear-facing to at least 1 year of age AND at least 20 pounds, longer if possible. The seat should be at a 30-45 degree angle to keep the child’s head from falling forward. Do not tip it too far back or the child could come out of the seat in a crash.
NOTE: Infants who outgrow a smaller infant-only seat before 1 year of age should ride rear-facing in a child safety seat with a higher rear-facing weight limit (over 22 pounds).
AGE: Over 1 year to 4 years old
WEIGHT: Over 20 pounds, up to 40 pounds
TYPE OF SEAT: Convertible or Forward-Facing Only seat
DIRECTION TO FACE: A child over 1 year of age AND over 20 pounds may ride facing forward. Use the upright position or the position recommended by
the manufacturer.
NOTE: Keep the child in a child safety seat with a full harness as long as possible, preferably until 4 years old. For children 40 pounds or more who are too young or too active to sit still in a booster seat, or if a vehicle has only lap belts, look for child restraints with harnesses labeled for use over 40 pounds.
AGE: 4 to 8 years old
WEIGHT: Over 40 pounds
TYPE OF SEAT: Belt-positioning Booster Seat, backless or high-back
DIRECTION TO FACE: Forward-Facing
NOTE: All children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are 4′ 9″ tall.

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