Eyes Up, Slow Down: Our Kids Live Here
March 26, 2019 9:15 AM
by Cory Keen
A lot of Santa Monicans find themselves behind the wheel of a car pretty regularly. But there are certain members of our community who never find themselves behind the wheel — and that’s our children.
And while they’re sometimes strapped into the backseat of a car, oftentimes our children are walking or biking to school on our city streets. In fact, 1/3 of all students in Santa Monica walk to school every day, and getting these kids to school safely is something we can all get behind.
Be Mindful
One of the best ways we can ensure our kids get to school safely is to practice mindful driving. Of course, practicing mindfulness behind the wheel doesn’t always come naturally. Whether you’re following a new Waze route, looking in the rearview at a tailgater, or simply trying to locate your own child amongst the crowd when you’re picking them up from school — there are plenty of things that can distract you.
Being distracted on the road is serious business: distraction and inattention are contributing factors in 78 percent of crashes. This statistic becomes even more sobering when you consider the unique challenges of driving in a school zone; younger students are smaller, which can make them harder to spot on the road and they’re also less experienced when it comes to street safety and may not yet know the importance of following rules that are put in place to protect them. For those reasons, it’s a good idea for those who are driving to take extra care in school neighborhoods.
That’s why the city’s Safe Routes to School program is providing free lawn signs with messages aimed at encouraging safe driving behavior in our neighborhoods. These brightly colored lawn signs will notify people to look out for
The signs will be distributed through Santa Monica elementary schools, so if you’re interested in getting a sign for your own lawn, get in contact with your local school. You can also contact the City’s Safe Routes to School coordinator (cory.keen@smgov.net) to request signs or go to santamonica.gov/friendlyroad for more information.
Working Together For Safe School Routes
Getting our kids to school safely is an effort that takes all of us. When you’re behind the wheel, practice mindful driving; if you’re a parent, have conversations with your kids about street safety and get involved in events like Kidical Mass, which are quarterly family-fun rides sponsored by the City. The next Kidical Mass is scheduled on April 20, 2019 — in honor of Earth Day. The event will start at Memorial Park with a pit stop at the community gardens. For ongoing updates, follow @SMSpoke on Facebook.
In the meantime, we, as a city, will continue to implement
Authored By
Cory Keen
Transportation Management Specialist