Each year, approximately 630 child pedestrian fatalities occur and children sustain more than 39,000 nonfatal pedestrian injuries.

The Bike/Pedestrian Committee of Safe Kids Springfield has participated in International Walk To School Day since 2002. In addition, as part of the Walk This Way pedestrian program, Safe Kids Springfield promotes Schools Safety Committees, Halloween Safety, and applies for Walk This Way Task Force grants for environmental improvements around school zones.

Safe Kids Walk This Way – Pedestrian Safety

Inherent risks such as a child’s size and cognitive ability, and environmental risks such as speeding motorists, are numerous – that’s why prevention measures are so important. You can reduce your children’s risk of harm by modeling and teaching safe pedestrian behavior. You can also join groups like Safe Kids in advocating for safer pedestrian environments across your community.

The most important thing you can do to teach your kids safe pedestrian behavior is to practice it yourself: crossing streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks whenever possible, and making eye contact with drivers prior to crossing in front of them.

Halloween Safety

Halloween is known as a scary holiday, but usually not for the right reason. On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than other days of the year.

In preparation for Halloween, Safe Kids coalitions across the country team up with Walk This Way program sponsor FedEx to provide kids with reflective materials to promote visibility, including reflective trick-or-treat bags and zipper tags that can be attached to costumes, as well as important safety information for children, parents and drivers.

An important component of the Safe Kids Walk This Way program is making walking safer for children.

Each year coalitions around the country have created local task forces with the goal of improving pedestrian conditions for children by making long-term environmental improvements. In the past several years, Safe Kids Springfield has provided funding for countdown crosswalk signals, push buttons and new signage for signals, LED lamps, and reflective crosswalk sleeves in Springfield and surrounding communities.

Walk To School Day

Millions of children from countries around the world participate in Safe Kids Walk This Way events for International Walk to School Day in October. The events raise community and global awareness about walking safety and promote healthy behaviors.   If your school is interested in participating in this event, please contact Safe Kids Springfield at 417-820-6671.