September 27, 2004
Hello! Taking the bus or riding in a car are often the quickest ways to get to school. On the other hand, there are many good reasons to walk or ride your bicycle: they are good for your health, convenient, and free--just to name a few. Sometimes the only way to get to where you want to go when you want to get there is to walk or ride your bicycle. Unfortunately, in the United States: Statistics show that: "Each year, more
than 500,000 people in the US are treated in emergency departments,
and more than 700 people die as a result of bicycle-related injuries.
Children are at particularly high risk for bicycle-related injuries...." "Every year, about
176,000 kids go to the emergency department because of bike accident
injuries. Some of these injuries are so serious that children
die, usually from head injuries. A head injury means a brain injury.
That's why it's so important to wear your bike helmet. Wearing
one doesn't mean you can be reckless, but a helmet will provide
some protection for your head in case you fall down." You know the health benefits
of walking and riding (exercise that actually gets you where you
want to go). You know that it is often your best, or only, choice.
You also know the statistics, and you don‚t want to be one
of them. "*Make sure your
seat, handlebars, and wheels fit tightly. If riding isn't for you, then what about walking? "Walking is great exercise ˜
you can go almost anywhere on your own two feet. Plus, it's free.
But walking can also be Safety tips for walkers:
You don't walk. You don't bike. What does this have to do with you? Maybe you take the bus. "Pedestrian fatalities -- those
occurring while loading and unloading school buses -- account for
approximately three times as many school bus-related fatalities
when compared to school bus occupant fatalities." More dangerous than being on the school bus, is getting to and from it. Whatever you may think of that big, yellow school bus, it is the safest way for you to get to school. "According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each year approximately 440,000
public school buses travel about 4.3 billion miles to transport
23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities.
The school bus occupant fatality rate of 0.2 fatalities per 100
million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is much lower than the rates
for passenger cars (1.5 per 100 million VMT) or light trucks and
vans (1.3 per 100 million VMT). In the ten year period from 1977
to 1986, an average of 12 school bus occupants and 47 pedestrians
under the age of 19 were killed annually in school bus related crashes.
This number decreased from 1987 to 1996 to an average of ten school
bus occupants and 25 pedestrians. While each of these fatalities
is tragic, the numbers are small when compared to the average number
of occupants under the age of 19 killed in other motor vehicle crashes
(6,118) over the past 20 years. As safe as they are, measures are still
being made to make school buses safer. As for safety on the city bus... And then there is the car. Whether you have a license and a car yourself, you have friends who do, or you rely on parents to drive you from place to place, there is something to be said for the freedom and flexibility that comes with a car. However, with that freedom does come some responsibility. "Motor vehicle crashes are the
leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, and two out of three
teenagers who die in car accidents are passengers in vehicles driven
by other teens. The fact is, automobile accidents are a serious
problem for teenagers. Safety experts are trying to change that
by educating teens about the choices they make when they get behind
the wheel or ride in a vehicle with other teens. ... Fortunately,
being careful and getting more experience behind the wheel can help
you become a safer driver. According to the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety, most teenage motor vehicle accidents are caused
by: No matter how you get to school, you are not alone on the roads. Others may be getting there in different ways, but you all need to watch out for each other. Questions of the Week: Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
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