More than 250,000 children across the U.S. participated in the
annual event to learn about walking safely and to encourage the
creation of safe walking environments. “On International Walk to
School Day, parents and caregivers both teach and model safe
pedestrian behavior,” said Traci Napier Reece, Safe Kids Walker
County coordinator. “It is one thing to tell students about
pedestrian safety, but by walking with them on International
Walk to School Day, we can show them proper behaviors and give
them the tools to be safer pedestrians. This fall, Safe Kids
released a report titled “Walking Safely, A Report to the
Nation,” a 15-year trend report which examined child pedestrian
injuries and deaths in the U.S. The report revealed that while
walking safety has improved overall for children since 1995,
there are still a staggering number of children hit by cars.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, road
traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children
ages three to 14. More than 61