Illinois Injury Law Blog

Illinois injury lawyers know that almost 90 percent of children living in Chicago walk to school each day, which can be highly dangerous and put them at risk of a pedestrian accident.

Back to school safety is on the mind of every parent right now as school resumes session. Parents should talk to their kids about different aspects of school safety, specifically walking or biking to school, in order to minimize the potential for a child injury in Chicago and elsewhere in the state.

As part of the Safe Routes to School program, the Chicago Police Department and City of Chicago teamed up their efforts to create the 'Walking School Bus' initiative, which gives children an opportunity to be more active by walking but at the same time allows them to arrive to school safely with adult supervision.

The program is simple. An adult starts out with one or two children and walks in the direction of school while picking up more students along the way; similar to how a bus makes several stops along a specified route to pick up children and transport them to school. A group of students who generally live near each other can achieve recommended fitness levels by being picked up and walked to school with the watchful eye of an adult.

Parents can keep their children safer by reviewing the following safety tips with children who walk to school each day:

-Horseplay should never take place with friends when walking near a road with moving vehicles.

-Always stop at the edge of a curb when getting ready to cross the street. Don't step down from the curb until you are 100 percent sure no traffic is coming.

-Residents in your neighborhood may be trying to get to work so check for people in parked cars or vehicles with the engine running in every driveway you pass. Chances are, drivers won't see small children if they are going in reverse motion or are covered in their blind spot.

-Designate a safe route for your child to take to school and make sure they understand to never deviate from the planned route by taking a shortcut.

-Purchase a bright colored jacket or backpack that is highly visible and encourage your children to make themselves noticeable around cars.

Trib local reports there are several benefits to your children walking or biking to school this year. Morning exercise can burn off penned up energy that will allow your child to concentrate better in the classroom. The same goes for afternoon exercise having the same effect when they are ready to sit and do their homework after school or in the evening.

Walking or biking guarantees them exercise at least twice a day or ten times a week which can help reduce the risk of obesity and keep colds or flu symptoms to a minimum. It is noted that parents dropping their kids off at school attributes to 15 percent more morning commuter traffic. Children walking or biking to school will not only cut down on morning rush hour traffic but can also save money at the pump since the first five miles are the least efficient for a cold engine.