Sign-ups open for summer pedestrian safety program

Riley Funk, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Apr. 30—With thousands of child pedestrians injured each year, one annual program is continuing to educate local children on how to stay safe, especially around the roads.

The 44th annual "Safety Town," a program presented by the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council, will begin June 19. It is designed to bring in kids aged 5-7 years old to teach them how to be safe in a variety of situations.

Around 600 children and adolescents in the U.S. die from pedestrian injuries each year, according to the Children's Safety Network. Teenagers aged 15 to 19 are most likely to be injured in pedestrian incidents.

Executive Director Sheldon Lyon said teaching kids about the importance of pedestrian safety is vital, especially at a young age.

"These kids are sponges with information ... it's really amazing to see what they retain," Lyon said. "As far as pedestrians, they have no idea how to act. We teach them how to be a pedestrian out in areas of the neighborhood where sidewalks are present ... with experiences like this, it seems like it enhances the learning."

In order to get through to kids at a young age, the program is designed to be hands-on through demonstrations. This motivates parents to continue to bring their children into the program.

"We have third generation of children coming through this program," Lyon said. "This is a formula that's worked well for several decades and parents realize the value of it when it's around because their kids do learn so much."

In addition to learning about pedestrian safety, they will learn stranger danger tactics and meet officials in the community from various agencies. High school students can also volunteer to get service hours for school.

Lyon said it's a great way to create life skills that kids can use as they grow and hopes that parents sign their children up.

"Anywhere from 120 to 240 kids will go through the program," Lyon said. "We want to put parents' minds at ease ... that it's a great program that's safe for their kids and their children will learn a lot."

There are multiple Safety Town sessions available throughout June and July. Sign-ups are available at https://www.stjoesafetycouncil.org/safety-town.

Riley Funk can be reached at riley.funk@newspressnow.com.