With children headed back to school, the Los Angeles Police Department is celebrating the beginning of another year for hundreds of thousands of students.
Police are also warning, however, of a danger that increases about this time each year: the threat posed to children on bike or foot by cars and other vehicles.
“The leading cause of death for children aged 14 and younger is vehicle accidents, whether they are passengers riding their bikes or getting struck by a vehicle while walking,” police said in a news release.
Capt. Raymond Lucas told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian that one of the major danger points is the loading and unloading of school buses.
“We’re asking parents to talk to their children about some traffic safety tips,” Lucas said.
Those tips include:
- Taking five giant steps away from the school bus onto the sidewalk after exiting
- Looking left, right and left again when crossing the street
- Being mindful of electric vehicles that are quieter than traditional cars, making them harder to detect