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The mission of NYS PTA is to be a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the education and wellbeing of every child.
The Every Child Travels Safely initiative will focus on transportation safety and see that children and caregivers increase safety in all aspects of child travel.
(Make sure you check out the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee safety topics!)
Please contact our office to set up a Traffic Safety Event at your school!
The New York State PTA, in collaboration with The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, is pleased to present “Lucky, the Traffic Safety Dog”, in his video learning series, with accompanying lesson plans and activities. This video series is available to PTA units, schools, and families studying at home. You can find the videos and activities below.
This campaign is a re-imagined, virtual version of the in-person “Every Child Travels Safely” program that delivers important child safety topic information like walking to school, bike riding to school, bus safety, and more! This new program is in English and Spanish with other languages by request.
NYS PTA has proudly advocated for child safety issues in a number of traffic-related areas for many years. In our policy document entitled “Where We Stand” we have delineated our positions on many issues, including:
While there has been a decline in walking and biking to school,[4] there is still a significant minority who do walk or bike to school. Research shows that children who live closer to school buildings have higher rates of pedestrian and bicycling than others.[5]
Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the fifth highest cause of injury-related deaths for 5-19 aged children and young adults.[7] Teenagers have twice the death rate of younger children in pedestrian-related accidents.[8]
The New York State Department of Health also keeps state records,[19] which paint a sobering picture of pedestrian safety.
The New York Health Department also keeps records on bicyclist accident-related deaths and injuries.[23]
Again- while there is a decline in children bicycling to school, there is still a significant minority of students using this mode of transportation – especially if the family lives close to the school building.[26]
Further, the risk for head injuries falls by 45% when children are wearing properly fitted helmets.[28] Sadly, less than 50% of children under the age of 14 usually wear a bicycle helmet.[29]
Motor vehicle accident deaths continue to be a leading cause of death across our country and state.[30]
Young drivers (ages 16-19) have the highest rates of crashes as compared to other age groups.[33] Accidents (not solely motor-vehicle accidents) continue to be the leading cause of death for ALL age groups of children and young adults in New York.[34]
The New York Health Department also keeps records on motor vehicle accident-related deaths.[38]
Further, car seat safety and correct usage are critical to save lives and prevent injury.
The Centers for Disease Control found that in one year alone, more than 618,000 children under the age of 12 were occupants of vehicles without the appropriate use of a child safety seat, booster seat, or seatbelt.[42]
Caregivers often fail to realize that a child should be in a car seat, and then a booster seat, until they are at least 4’9” and/or 80-100 lbs.[45]
According to the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration, school busses continue to be one of the safest modes of transportation,[46] yet this may be unknown to caregivers.
In many areas of our state, children are taking public transportation to and from school.
Thankfully, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee has information [49] on safe public transportation for children and families, but there are few other resources for families.