Oregon, Ohio receives grant from Safe Kids USA & FedEx

Along Starr Ave in Oregon, drivers and pedestrians may notice a new crosswalk and signage in front of Fassett Middle School. The enhanced crosswalk with rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB’s) has been installed with grant funding from Safe Kids USA and FedEx through the Safe Kids Walk This Way program.

The flashing beacons warn drivers that

How PEDESTRIANS should use a Rapid Flashing Beacon:
• Push the pedestrian button to activate the Rapid Flashing Beacon.
• Look to make sure vehicles from both directions have stopped before crossing the street and continue to be aware of
 traffic while crossing.

How DRIVERS should respond to a Rapid Flashing Beacon:
• Look for flashing beacon indicating the presence of pedestrians at the crosswalk.
• Respond when you see the flashing LED yellow lights by preparing to stop and look for pedestrians.
• Stop at the “shark tooth” advanced yield markings and remain stopped until all pedestrians have cleared the street completely.
• Proceed slowly with caution.

Safe Kids Greater Toledo reminds parents and drivers to do their part to keep kids safe as they walk to school. Students and drivers should be extra careful when on the roads. 

“Parents should be proactive and take the time to talk about safety with their kids when they head back to school,” said Safe Kids Greater Toledo Coordinator, Erin Whitton. “Safe Kids recommends that parents walk the route to school with students at the start of the school year to assess hazards and select a course with the least number of traffic crossings.”
Adults can teach and model the following safety behaviors that all children should follow, even if they don’t walk to school every day:

While walking:
• Always cross the street with an adult until age 10
• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks when possible
• Look left, right and left again when crossing
• Always walk, never run, when crossing streets
• Walk on sidewalks or paths
• Walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible if there are no sidewalks

While driving:
• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods and school zones
• Take extra time to look for children on and near the road, before and after school hours
• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings

Safe Kids Walk This Way, a grassroots pedestrian safety initiative in more than 600 schools nationwide, is made possible through support from program co-creator and sponsor FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX). Through this year-round program, children learn safe pedestrian behaviors; school communities identify the pedestrian hazards surrounding their schools; and school pedestrian safety committees and task forces lead efforts to educate pedestrians and drivers about safe behaviors, enforce traffic laws and improve environments for child pedestrians. Every day, more than 80,000 FedEx vehicles are on the road, sharing the streets with pedestrians, fueling the company's dedication to pedestrian safety and sharing the lessons of safe driving that FedEx has learned over the past 35 years. 

For more information about the Walk This Way program,
call 202-662-0600 or visit http://www.safekids.org/our-work/programs/walk-this-way/.

Safe Kids USA is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations with the mission of preventing unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability to children ages 1 to 14. More than 600 coalitions in the United States and 19 member countries worldwide bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families.