2000 Newsroom Archive

School Kids Help Make Fellow Students Safer

Sacramento, California, March 2, 2000 - Last year more than 60 children between the ages of 2-12 were injured or killed in pedestrian accidents in Sacramento. On a national scale, traffic casualties are the leading cause of death among children ages 5-14 that, according to the American Automobile Association, could be reduced through local schools' safety patrol programs.

Through a $6,000 grant from California Kids' Plates, the City of Sacramento's Kids X-ing program has established a special safety patrol project, consisting of elementary school students who are strategically positioned on sidewalks near their school to ensure other students travel to and from school safely.

"There's a real need in our community for this safety patrol," said Mandy Thompson, program coordinator of the Kids X-ing program. Safety patrols reduce pedestrian and bicycle accidents by preventing school children from jaywalking, playing in the street and much, much more. They also remind students to practice the traffic safety techniques learned in school."

School principals in Sacramento were asked to evaluate the safety curriculum at their school. More than half of the principals surveyed indicated interest to create a safety patrol, but lacked the resources to initiate such a patrol. Through the grant from Kids' Plates, and the aid of the City's Kids X-ing program, several elementary schools are now establishing their Kids X-ing safety patrol.

For further information, please contact Mandy Thompson, program coordinator, at (916) 277-6064.