Back to School Means Increased Risks for Child Injury in Tennessee

Early August means it’s time for kids to gear up for another school year. While children may be most worried about the new clothes and which teacher they’ll have this year, parents are busy worrying about getting their kids to school safely and the risks of child injuries in Tennessee.

According to the Nation Safety Council (NSC), about 25 million students around the United States will be climbing aboard big, yellow buses this month and heading back to school. Unfortunately, this is also a time where we see a number of injuries and deaths because of school bus-related accidents. As a matter of fact, school bus-related accidents took the lives of 134 people in 2005 alone. During that year, another 11,000 were injured. Of the people injured in these accidents from 2000 to 2004, roughly 46 percent were school bus passengers, about 8 percent were school bus drivers and another 41 percent were occupants of other vehicles. The rest of the injuries were sustained by pedestrians, bicyclists and other persons.

Our Knoxville personal injury attorneys would like to wish all the kids a happy and successful year back at school and we’d like to talk to the parents about important safety tips that can help to keep your child safe this school year.

If your child is walking to school:

-Make sure they walk with a group of kids and always with a responsible adult.

-Be sure that they stay on the sidewalk, if available.

-If there’s not sidewalk, remind them to always walk facing traffic.

-Require them to always cross the street at a street corner or at an intersection. It’s the safest!

-Make sure they check both ways before stepping off the curb and crossing the street.

-Walk. Don’t run across the street. Running makes your child more likely to fall in the street.

If your child rides a school bus, make sure they:

-Stand at least three giant steps, or 6 feet, away from the curb.

-Make sure they cross the street at least 5 giant steps, or 10 feet, in front of a school bus.

-Make sure the bus driver can see them and they can see the bus driver.

-Alert them of the dangers of walking behind the bus.

-Tell your child to never put their head, hands or arms out of the bus window.

-Shhh! Ask them to keep an indoor voice while riding the bus.

-Make sure they keep the bus aisles clear.

-Keep them away from the wheels of the bus at all times.

While parents should be concerned with their student’s focus on their studies, you should also be concerned with their safety both getting to school and while they’re at school. Equip your child with the knowledge of safety before sending them off to school this year.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a car or bus accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with our Knoxville injury lawyers and Maryville accident attorneys. Call (865) 804-1011.

More Blog Entries: Picking a Vehicle: Help Keep Your Teen Safe in a Tennessee Car Accident, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, August 3, 2011 Teen Driver Dies in Tennessee Car Accident, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, June 6, 2011