A number of organizations and volunteers came together Wednesday morning to walk elementary school kids to school and educate them on the importance of being safe while going to school.
St. Mary Medical Center and Safe Kids Bucks County organized the morning walk with the Neshaminy School District and Middletown police to work to reduce the amount of injuries sustained by pedestrians overall.
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In 2016, eight kids under 14 were severely injured in pedestrian accidents in Bucks County, explained Kimberly Everett, the trauma prevention coordinator at St. Mary Medical Center and the coordinator of Safe Kids Bucks County. Bucks County ranks third in the state in traffic involved deaths, behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
“We just want to start generating conversation,” Everett said.
The instruction, set to coincide with International Walk to School Day, consisted of volunteers and police meeting with kids and their parents at three set locations in Middletown’s Levittown section. The groups walked to the front of Walter Miller Elementary in the Cobalt Ridge neighborhood, where they joined together and crossed the street to the school.
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Beginning the conversation plants the seeds of public safety so that when future neighborhood revisions happen, people in charge will think about installing sidewalks and the like. Safe neighborhoods and walkways are important because kids who live within a mile of the school don’t receive a bus to school. As a result, lots of parents will drive their kids to school, increasing traffic and congestion in the area, organizers said.
The hands-on instruction stressed the importance of the kids being aware of their surroundings and their need to listen to crossing guards. Walking to school is good for the overall health of the students, Everett explained.
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“We don’t want kids to stop walking for fear that they are going to be hit by a car,” Everett said.
“This shows how important their safety is for the whole community,” said Sara Thomas, who was standing with her son and daughter.
“It is great to see that they are doing this,” Mark Golling, who was standing with his daughter getting ready to walk to the school with her, told LevittownNow.com. “I get concerned even when I see other kids walking all by themselves.”
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The walk to school was followed by two assemblies for differing age groups, where kids had traffic rules broken down for them. Following the assembly, young students received books about Clifford the Big Red Dog walking to school and older students received educational pamphlets with activities inside.
The exercise and assemblies were possible due to a mini-grant supplied through Safe Kids Worldwide, Everett explained. In addition to St. Mary Medical Center, FedEx, Bike Bucks County and AAA were present to volunteer and present at the assembly.
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