The National Safety Council shares tips on how to ensure your child travels safely to school everyday, Whether your children walk, ride their bicycle or take the bus to school, it is extremely important that they take proper safety precautions. Take a look at their check list:

Walking to school

Review your family’s walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child

• Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic
• Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections
• Stay alert and avoid distracted walking

Riding a bicycle to school

Teach your child the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to school with your child

• Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in single file
• Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
• Stay alert and avoid distracted riding
• Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing

Riding the bus to school

Teach your children school bus safety rules and practice with them

• Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus
• Teach your children to stand six feet (or 3 giant steps) away from the curb
• If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach him or her to walk on the side of the road until they are 10 feet ahead of the bus; your child and the bus driver should always be able to see each other

Driving your child to school

Stay alert and avoid distracted driving

• Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school's drop-off procedure
• Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street

School Safety

Many school-related injuries are completely preventable. Follow these steps to ensure your child’s safety at school: Preventing backpack-related injuries

Choose a backpack for your child carefully; it should have ergonomically designed features to enhance safety and comfort

• Ask your child to use both straps when wearing their backpack to evenly distribute the weight on their shoulders
• Don’t overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 5 to 10 percent of your child’s body weight
• Rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create a trip hazard in crowded school hallways

Preventing playground-related injuries

To reduce strangulation hazards on playgrounds, have your child leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home