Wishing your family a safe and healthy start to the year,

Jennifer Grube

Safe Routes to School Coordinator

1. Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times.
2. Make eye contact with pedestrians crossing the street.
3. Use extra caution when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as at dusk or in bad weather.
4. Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk.
5. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well before the crosswalk to allow other drivers to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop too.
6. Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. There may be pedestrians crossing where you can’t see.
7. Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
8. Follow the speed limit, especially around pedestrians on the street, in school zones, and in neighborhoods where children are present.
9. Be extra cautious when backing up and look for pedestrians.

PLEASE STOP FOR SCHOOL BUSES

Students rely on school buses to get them to and from school safely.

School buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road. They’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries, and every state has stop-arm laws to protect children from other motorists.

If you are driving, remember these simple rules:

• Yellow flashing lights on a school bus mean to slow down — don’t speed up — because the bus is preparing to stop. Likely, students are waiting to get on the bus, or parents are waiting nearby to pick up their children.
• Red flashing lights mean to stop — and wait at least 20 feet behind the bus — because children are getting on or off the school bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving.
• Even when lights are not flashing, watch for children around school arrival and dismissal times, particularly in the morning or mid-afternoon. Be alert as you back out of a driveway, or drive through a neighborhood, school zone or, bus stop.
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Parents, talk bus safety with your children.

Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Teach them to play it SAFE:

• Stay five steps away from the curb.
• Always wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the bus driver signals for you to board.
• Face forward after finding a seat on the bus.
• Exit the bus after it stops and look left-right-left for cars before crossing a street.

1. Follow the rules of the road and obey signs and signals.
2. Walk on sidewalks whenever they are available.
3. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible.
4. Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Look for vehicles in all directions, including those turning left or right.
5. If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to cross safely. Continue watching for traffic as you cross.
6. Watch for vehicles entering or exiting driveways, or backing up in parking lots.
7. Make eye contact with drivers and wave to let them know you are crossing the street.
8. Embrace walking as a healthy form of transportation - get up, get out and get moving.

Safe Routes to School participated in Back to School Fairs at the Galleria, Meadows, and Summerlin malls, where we talked with parents and community members about safe and healthy alternatives for traveling to and from school.

The staff at SRTS was fortunate to be invited to attend the Back to School Pool Party hosted by Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Mayor Pro Tempore Scott Black, City of North Las Vegas, and Clark County. Councilman Black awarded bikes to seven lucky students, and SRTS donated the helmets and locks for those students.

Thank you to the City of Las Vegas, the Road Equity Alliance Project, CCSD K-9 Unit, and All City Management Services for disseminating information about the importance of your partnerships with SRTS and for clarifying your role in student safety. A special thank you, also, to the Southern Nevada Health District for supporting and helping to expand the Safe Routes to School Program.

Mary Racine, Administrative Clerk

Barbara Notareschi, SRTS Community Liaison

Alvin Horn, SRTS Community Liaison

Jennifer Grube, Coordinadora de SRTS

Mary Racine, Secretaria Administrativa

Barbara Notareschi, Enlace de Bicicletas de SRTS

Alvin Horn, Enlace de Bicicletas de SRTS