Backpack safety
Picking the right backpack can prevent your child from developing back pain or strain. Below are tips to help you find the right one for your kids.
• Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
• Pack light.
• Always use both shoulder straps.
Pedestrian safety
To help kids stay safe as they walk to school, teach your children about pedestrian safety.
First, practice helping them cross the street. If your child is young or is walking to a new school, walk with them the first week to make sure they know the route and can do it safely.
Also encourage them to wear bright colored clothing, which will make it easier for drivers to see them.
In neighborhoods with higher levels of traffic, consider starting a "walking school bus," in which an adult accompanies a group of neighborhood children on their walk to school.
Also, remind your kids of the following pedestrian safety rules.
• Always walk - don't run - across the street.
• Never dart out into the street between parked cars.
• Stop completely at all street corners.
• Only cross streets at intersections and crosswalks. Look left, then right, and left again, before crossing. Continue looking both ways as you cross the street.
• Walk facing the flow of traffic on sidewalks and paths.
• At signals, begin walking when the "WALK" signal is showing. Finish crossing even when the signal flashes "DON'T WALK"! The flashing "DON'T WALK" signal means don't step off the curb and begin crossing.
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