Walk, don’t run.
    That’s a tough message to get across to students this time of year.
    Traffic safety is a critical thing at this time of year; school is out for summer — or about to get out.

With pleasant weather and that inimitable sense of freedom and escape that students everywhere feel in early June, they’ll be running to their destinations, or riding bicycles with something less than attention to the safety rules most kids have been taught.

Slow down for the kids. They are excited by life, and forgetful, at this time of year, and they might not always be watching where they are going.

Which means adults need to be their eyes and ears.

For starters, look around at street crossing points around Hood River; many lack crossing assists, and in many places the crosswalk lines have been heavily worn by traffic. (See photo, above.)

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With school out, it’s  important to remember that kids are still learning. Children are not small adults. It takes time and practice for a child to develop the ability to deal with lots of traffic.

It helps to think of yourself as 4 feet tall.

That’s the advice of National Center For Safe Routes to School, an organization that local schools are working with, www.saferoutes.org.

Safe Routes points out that, over time, children develop the ability to accurately judge the speed and distance of oncoming traffic. Young children may think that a car is able to stop, when in fact, it is not. Also, children may think that if they can see a driver, the driver can see them. But, children are smaller and harder for drivers to see. Get down to a child’s height to experience their perspective and see what they see.

Children learn through experience. Walking with parents or another caregiver is an important way for children to practice crossing real streets and picking safe places to walk. As you walk with your child, remember these safety tips:

n Wear bright-colored clothes, or wear reflective gear if it is dark or hard to see.

n Look for traffic at every driveway and intersection.

n Be aware of drivers in parked cars that may be getting ready to move.

n Obey all traffic signs and signals.

n Steps to crossing safely: Stop at the curb or edge of the street; look left, right, left and behind you and in front of you for traffic. Wait until no traffic is coming and begin crossing. Keep looking for traffic until you have finished crossing.

And Safe Routes comes back to the old, safety standard: Walk, don’t run across the street.

To kids and adults alike: happy trails, or happy crosswalks, this summer.