Regional EMS Authority - Reno, Nevada

SAFE KIDS Washoe County HONORED INTERNATIONAL EVENT WITH CHILD PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PRESENTATION

October 2, 2002 – Director of SAFE KIDS Washoe County Coalition and Director of Community Education for REMSA (Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority), Eric Guevin, gave a child pedestrian safety presentation at Alice Maxwell Elementary School located at 2300 North Rock Boulevard in celebration of “International Walk Your Child To School Day.” Approximately 5,000 Washoe County elementary students sported bright yellow “I Walk Safely” visors as Washoe SAFE KID volunteers, parents, city officials, law enforcement and REMSA paramedics safely guided them across neighborhood streets to school. The goal of the event was to educate children and parents on risks and prevention for pedestrian related injuries and encourage kids to walk safely.

Participants of “International Walk Your Child To School Day “ were stationed at Alice Maxwell Elementary School in Sparks and Smithridge Elementary School in Reno beginning at 8 a.m. to provide public education and awareness of pedestrian safety. The Alice Maxwell Elementary School safety assembly began at 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. The safety assembly at Smithridge Elementary School began at 9 a.m.

Children ages five to nine are at the greatest risk of traffic-related pedestrian death and injury. In many instances, parents overestimate their children’s pedestrian skills. Most children are struck in streets or driveways near their homes when darting out between parked cars, walking along the edge of the road, or crossing in the middle of the block or in front of a turning car.

“We want parents and children to be aware of safe pedestrian practices and stranger danger,” said Eric Guevin, Director of SAFE KIDS Washoe County Coalition and REMSA’s Director of Community Education. “It is important parents work out a safe walking plan with their child to avoid stranger danger occurrences and pedestrian injuries due to crashes. The basic steps of pedestrian safety of stop at the edge of the sidewalk, look left, look right and look left again before crossing the street, could save their lives.”

REMSA (Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority), is the lead organization for the SAFE KIDS Washoe County Coalition, which is made up of local agencies including the Regional Transportation Commission Safe Communities Partnership, City of Reno Engineering Department, Police and Fire Departments of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County Health Department, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety and others. The Coalition was encouraging parents and caregivers to walk with their children to school on Wednesday, October 2 to learn first-hand the dangers children encounter on the way to school. Parents will then teach their children how to identify and avoid school journey dangers.

The SAFE KIDS Washoe County is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury – the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. More than 280 State and Local Coalitions in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico comprise the Campaign. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. is chairman of the Campaign. For more information about SAFE KIDS call 202-662-0600 or visit the Web site at www.safekids.org.

The SAFE KIDS Washoe County Coalition recommends children under 10 years of age never cross the street alone and offers these additional safety guidelines:

Teach children to recognize and obey all traffic signals and markings. A flashing “walk sign is not an automatic “go” signal. It means a pedestrian has permission to cross, but must first stop and look both ways for cars.
Make sure children look in all directions before crossing the street. Teach them to stop at the curb or edge of the road and to look left, right and left again for traffic before and while crossing the street.
Teach children not to enter the street from between parked cars or behind bushes or shrubs. Darting into the street accounts for the majority of child pedestrian fatalities.
Teach children to cross the street at a corner or crosswalk. Make sure children allow plenty of time to cross. Teach them to walk, not run, across intersections. Tell children to listen to adult crossing guards or safety patrols at monitored intersections.
Warn children to be extra alert in bad weather. Visibility might be poor and motorists might not be able to see them or stop quickly.
Demonstrate proper pedestrian safety by being good role models. Parents, caregivers and older peers should set good examples for younger children. Children need you to not only tell them, but also show them how to be safe pedestrians. If there are older children in your neighborhood, express to them how important it is to be a good role model.
Make sure children know the safest route to their destination. Look for the most direct route with fewest street crossings. Walk the route with the children until demonstrate traffic and safety awareness. They should take the same route every time and avoid shortcuts.
Children should always wear retro-reflective materials and carry a flashlight if walking at dawn and dusk. Nearly half of child pedestrian deaths occur between 4 and 8 p.m.

The SAFE KIDS Washoe County Coalition is working closely with the National SAFE KIDS Campaign to prevent the number one killer of children – unintentional injury. Through a national grassroots campaign and partnerships with state and local Coalitions, SAFE KIDS is able to educate and empower families and communities and protect their children from traffic dangers.