Whether your child walks, rides the school bus, or takes public transportation to school
Planning how your child will get to and from school safely each day can be a stressful task for you, especially if it is the first time your child will be traveling to school without you or another adult. Whether your child walks, rides the school bus, or takes public transportation to school, there are ways to help ensure your child gets to school safely.
School safety tips
• Talk to other parents in your neighborhood about how their children are getting to school. Create a buddy system, if you can, where your child walks, bikes or takes the bus with another child or group of children. And they all come home together the same way at the end of the day.
• Practice the route your child will take to school. Help your child become familiar with the route and feel comfortable. This will also give you the opportunity to share and practice the safety tips below.
Talk to your child about these important rules:
• Your child is never to leave school with anyone she does not know.
• Your child is never to leave school without anyone without first getting your approval or the approval of the adult in charge, namely the babysitter or a grandparent.
• If there is a change in who picks your child up at school or how she will get home (or go to another child’s home at the end of the day), you will always discuss it with her beforehand and with her teacher.
• There cannot be a last minute change of plans to go to somewhere after school without your approval and knowledge or that of the adult in charge.
• If your child encounters someone on the way home from school and feels uncomfortable, make sure she knows how to get away, find help and keep herself safe. Please see onetoughjob Child Safety tips for more information.
• Make sure your child knows that she can and should talk to you about any incident out of the ordinary that she encountered on the way home, especially if she felt uncomfortable about a situation.
• Make sure your child leaves with plenty of time to get to school so she is not racing to get there and forgets the safety tips you have taught her.
Tips for Walking to the School Bus Stop, Public Transportation, or School
• Be realistic about your child’s pedestrian skills. Carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that until children are at least 10 or 11 years old, they do not have the skills to handle traffic. For some children, learning these skills may take longer.
• Walk the route with your child before school begins to make sure your child’s walk is a safe route. Make sure your child, particularly young children, cross the street where there are well-trained adult crossing guards at the intersection.
• Dress your child in bright colored clothing and put reflective tape on your child’s backpack or shoes so she will be more visible to drivers, especially in the winter when it may be dark by the time your child returns from school.
• Find additional safety tips to share with your child for his or her walk to school visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
Share with your child these safety tips for riding the school bus:
• Direct your child to stand at least 5 giant steps (about 10 feet) away from the edge of the road while waiting for the bus.
• No horseplay while waiting for the bus. Instruct your child to be attentive to the traffic and standing safely on the sidewalk.
• Tell your child she must wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the driver opens the door before walking up and getting on. The bus’s lights and stop sign are turned on to stop the traffic and make sure children are safe.
• Direct your child to look both ways and make sure the cars are stopped before she crosses the street to get on or off the bus. Never dart out in front of or behind the bus, even when the lights are on. Make sure it is safe to cross.
• Once your child gets on the bus, she should find a seat and stay seated. Do not throw things on the bus, no rough housing, no horseplay, and do not stick anything out the windows!
• Be courteous to the bus driver and follow the rules—it is the driver’s job to keep you safe!
Tips for Biking to School Safely
• Massachusetts law requires that a bicycle helmet be worn by a person 16 years of age or under who is riding as an operator or passenger on a bicycle, in line skates, a scooter, or a skate board. Always require that your child wear a bike helmet, no matter how long or short the ride is.
• Teach your child to ride on the right, in single file if riding with others, in the same direction that the traffic is going.
• Teach your child to use appropriate hand signals when turning or stopping and to respect and obey traffic lights and street signs.
• Make sure your child wears bright colored clothes and has reflective material on his clothing, shoes or backpack to make him more visible to cars. Children should never bike after dark.
• Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics bike safety page at or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website at for more information on bike safety.
Tips for Using Public Transportation Safely
• Make sure your child is comfortable and familiar with riding public transportation before the first day of school. Let your child know that if he feels unsafe or uncomfortable at any time he should tell a Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) employee. Point out MBTA employees (i.e. the driver or employee selling tokens) when you practice riding the bus or the train so your child knows where to find them.
• A public transit bus does not have red flashing lights and a stop sign like a school bus to stop traffic when a child is getting on or off the bus, and drivers do not supervise children crossing the street. Make sure your child knows not to cross in front of a public bus. Instead, tell her to step back and wait for the bus to pull away so she has a clear view of the street.
• When waiting for the subway, make sure your child knows to stand at least 2 giant steps away from the edge of the platform. Let her know that it is not safe to run or play in the subway station nor is it safe to try to keep the doors from closing by sticking her arm or leg in the way.
• For more information about using public transportation in Massachusetts, see the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority website.
译文:
确保你的孩子每天安全的去学校
你的孩子去学校是步行，坐校车，还是用其他交通工具
对于你来说考虑如何让你的孩子每天安全的往返学校是件头痛的事情，尤其是你的孩子第一次在没有你或者其他大人陪伴的情况下，独自参加学校旅行。你的孩子去学校是步行，坐校车，还是运用其他交通工具，这里有几个方法能够帮助你确保你的孩子安全到达学校。
校园安全提示
•和你的邻居谈论他们的孩子是怎样去学校的。如果可以，你可以设计一个针对你的孩子和其他孩子一起步行，骑自行车或者坐公车，而且他们每天放学一起回家。
•让你的孩子熟悉去学校的路线。帮助你的孩子熟悉线路，并让他们感到安心。这也让你有机会分享和熟悉下面的安全提示。
告知你的孩子这些重要的法规
•你的孩子从没和陌生人离开学校。
•你的孩子从没事先未经你或其他大人即保姆或祖父母的允许离开学校。
•如果更换去学校接你孩子的人或者你的孩子是怎样到家的（或者放学后到另一个孩子家去），你通常事先要跟孩子和孩子的老师沟通。
•不要让你的孩子在放学的最后，且未经你的允许或通知监护人改变计划去其他地方。
•如果你的孩子在放学回家的路上遇到陌生人，让他感到不安，让他知道该如何逃跑，如何求助让自己安全。详情请看儿童安全提示获得更多的信息。
•让你的孩子知道，当他在回家的路上遇到不寻常的情况，尤其是当他感到不安的情况下，他应该告诉你这样的情况。
•让你的孩子留有足够的时间去学校，因为他不是赛车去学校，你要教他不要忽视安全。步行去学校车站，公共交通工具，或学校的安全提示
•有关你的孩子步行的技巧的实际问题。仔细的想想你的孩子是否已经准备好在没有大人的看护下去学校。国家道路交通安全机构（NHTSA）提出孩子直到10岁或11岁以后才能有应对交通状况的技巧。对于一些孩子来说，学习这些技巧需要花一些时间。
•在开学前，和你的孩子熟悉去学校的路线，确保孩子去学校的线路的安全。确保你的孩子，尤其是幼小的孩子，当他们在传马路的时候，在路段交叉口会有协管人员带领你的孩子过马路。
•让你的孩子穿着色彩鲜艳的衣服，将能够反光的录音带放在你孩子的背包或鞋子上，这样，尤其在冬天，夜幕即将降临，孩子放学回家的时候，能引起司机的注意。
•如果想要了解其他有关你的孩子去学校的安全提示可以登陆国家公路交通安全机构网站。
和你的孩子分享坐校车的这些安全提示
•告诉你的孩子，他要站在远离路边大约10公尺的地方候车。
•在候车的时候不要嬉戏打闹。告诉你的孩子注意交通安全，要走横道线。
•告诉你的孩子必须等车靠站，司机打开车门时才能上车。车灯和站牌要指示明确，确保孩子的安全。
•告诉你的孩子，在他过马路去坐车之前要看看道路两边，以确保是否有车辆。不要在前后都有可能车辆突然冲出来的情况下，甚至是交通灯转换的情况下过马路。确保孩子安全过马路。
•当你孩子乘上车，她应该找个座位坐下。不要在车上扔垃圾，不要做出不文明的行为，不要嬉戏打闹，不要将身体伸出窗外。
•对待公车司机要有礼貌，遵守法规――保护你的安全是司机的职责。
安全骑车去学校的提示
•麻萨诸塞州法律规定，16周岁以下的孩子骑车带人，在路边滑冰，滑滑板都要戴头盔。通常规定不管骑车时间长短，你的孩子都要戴上头盔。
•教育你的孩子要在右车道骑车，如果和其他人一起骑车，要排成一排骑。要保持正向行使保证交通的正常运行。
•教你的孩子当她要转弯或停靠的时候要使用正确的手势，重视并遵守交通信号灯和道路指示。
•让你的孩子穿着色彩鲜艳的衣服，在衣服，鞋子或背包上带有醒目的东西，以便孩子在行走的时能引起车辆的注意。天黑后孩子不应骑车。
•在国家公路交通安全机构网站上，浏览美国研究院的幼孩骑车安全的网页上有更多有关骑车安全的信息。
安全使用公共交通工具的提示
•在开学前一天，让你的孩子安全并熟悉的使用公共交通工具。让他知道如果有些时候他感到危险或不安，他应该去找MBTA的工作人员。告诉你的孩子，当练习去骑车或坐火车到哪里找MBTA的员工（即司机或售卖纪念品的员工。
•当孩子上下车的时候，公共运输车辆不能有红色闪烁的灯和貌似校车的站牌，司机不能带领孩子过马路。让你的孩子知道不能在车前过马路。而是应该站在车后，并等车开走后再过马路，这样她才能看清道路过马路。
•在等地铁的时候，让你的孩子知道要站在站台边缘2公尺的地方。让她知道在地铁车站奔跑或嬉戏是很危险的，在行使的过程中，用手臂或腿夹住门也是很危险的。
•要想了解更多的有关在麻萨诸塞州使用交通工具的信息，请浏览麻萨诸塞州交通机构网站。