It’s official, the kids are back at school, which means the new year is in full swing.
While it might be a relief to get back into the daily routine of school again, not having your children at home with you every day, could make you feel anxious about their safety.
Take control of this fear, by setting some ground rules for their daily commute to and from school. These five tips will help you get started:
- Safety in numbers: Children must always walk to or from school with a friend or friends. If your child walks alone, it’s a good idea to ask a teacher or other parents if they know of other children from the area who do the same. Some towns have started “walking buses”, where local parents volunteer to walk to and from school with a group of school children to assure their safety.
- Know the route: Stick to streets you know, and never take shortcuts through unfamiliar or quiet areas.
- Stay inside school grounds: If you get picked up at school, always wait inside the grounds for your lift to arrive; do not leave the premises to go and look for them in the street.
- What’s the password: Remember, your parents would never send someone you don’t know to fetch you. Never get into a stranger’s car, even if they claim that someone you love is hurt and that they are supposed to pick you up. It is a good idea to consider using a password system, to ensure that the person collecting you is in fact a friend of your parents or someone you can trust.
- Don’t talk to strangers: If a stranger approaches you, do not talk to them, no matter how friendly they may seem. If someone tries to grab you, fight, kick and scream that they are not your mom or dad.
For more safety tips, visit Fidelity ADT.