Topic of Interest: Back to School Safety

The school year is starting for Volusia County students, and there are some important safety measures to keep in mind in order to help keep your child safe:

• If your child rides the school bus, make sure they do not stand at a bus stop alone. Also remind your child that it is only OK to cross in front of a school bus when the stop signs extend from the sides of the bus and they have looked both ways for oncoming traffic.
• If you know a student who bikes to school, remind them that wearing headphones while driving a bicycle is against Florida law! Also make sure they are wearing a helmet and that they always yield to pedestrians.
• If you drive your child to school each day, remember that it is YOUR responsibility to ensure they are wearing a seatbelt. Also, the US Department of Transportation states that children under 13 should be properly restrained in the rear seat of the vehicle. It is estimated that children are 26 percent less likely to be fatally injured in a crash if seated in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle.
• For students walking to school each day, make sure they take paths that are consistently well-lit and in plain sight of lots of people. They must be aware of their surroundings at all times and be cautious of strangers!