Have a Safe and Enjoyable Labour Day Weekend!
Our team wishes everyone a wonderful end to summer and a smooth start to the school year. As students return to school across Toronto and Ontario, parents should prioritize road and pedestrian safety. Community effort and vigilance are essential. Here are key safety tips for transporting children.
1. Promote safe street crossing: Guide children to use marked crosswalks and intersections. Teach them to look both ways—left, right, then left again—before crossing and to establish eye contact with drivers to confirm they are noticed. Planning routes together can also help identify the safest way to reach school.
2. Stay Alert: Instruct children to remain aware of their surroundings and avoid distractions, such as mobile devices or music with headphones, while near roadways. Emphasizing the importance of focus, especially at busy intersections, can help prevent accidents.
3. Improve visibility: Dress children in reflective gear, bright clothing, or accessories during early mornings, evenings, and low-light situations. This greatly reduces accident risks. Parents can also carry flashlights or glow sticks during these times of day.
4. Bus Safety: Remind children to wait for the bus to stop completely and stay at a safe distance until it’s their turn to board. Behaving properly at the bus stop is key to safety. Instruct them to stay visible to the driver and avoid crossing behind the bus at all times.
5. Exercise bike safety precautions: Emphasize helmet use, obey traffic lights, use bike lanes, signal turns, and regularly check bikes for safety.
6. Supervision is essential: Always watch over young children near roads and teach them about crossing risks. Lead by example, with safe crossing habits and encourage children to walk with friends or adults whenever possible.
7. Community collaboration: Urge neighbours and community members to monitor children walking or biking near schools. Collective attention can greatly improve safety.
8. Exercise extra caution in school zones: Stay alert, especially during arrival and dismissal. Follow speed limits and be prepared to stop. Zone signs may be in effect during specific hours even when school is not in session.
Together, we can ensure a safe school return for children across Ontario.
-The Team at Singer Katz-
