Written by: Master Police Officer Dave Sloat, Loveland Police

As we start to get our children ready for the upcoming school year gathering school supplies and school clothes, we also need to think about back to school safety.

Family life can be hectic when school starts and we sometimes get in a hurry. Please review the below safety tips and share with your children their first lesson of the new school year.

Kids going to and from school

• “Use your head, wear a helmet.”
• Tell your kids to ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against it. Stay as far to the right as possible. Use appropriate hand signals and respect traffic signals, stopping at all stop signs and stoplights.
• Tell kids to look left, right and left again when crossing the street. Teach them to never run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
• Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Most injuries happen mid-block or someplace other than intersections.
• It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don’t know well or don’t trust.

Motorist

• “STATE LAW – YIELD to pedestrians in crosswalk.”
• Flashing school zones reduce the speed limit to 20-mph while the flashing yellow beacons are operating. Please slow down while driving through these zones and look out for school children crossing the street!
• Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
• Watch for bicycles.
• Eliminate distractions. Reduce risk by not using your cell phone or eating while driving, for example.
• Always stop for school busses that are loading or unloading children.
• Watch out for school crossing guards and obey their signals.

For more important safety tips please visit the ‘Safety Tips’ section of the Safe Kids website!