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A New Menace: Distracted Pedestrians

Benefits of Walking to School

Mental Health Benefits:

• Arrive awake and ready to learn
• Better grades and test scores
• Happier mood, reduce stress
• Time to talk with friends
• Independence

Physical Health Benefits:

• Strengthen heart, muscles and bones
• More energy
• Exercise - kids need 60 minutes a day
• Fresh air, enjoy nature, reduce car pollution

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Kids Need Exercise

(CDC, 2019) www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

About  13.7 million youth aged 2-19 are affected by obesity

Need for Exercise and Benefits of Walking to School!

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Real NJ Tragedy - Jersey City

• Jerry “Prince Bee” Grant, a member of the Honey Bees double dutch team was gaining fame for his talent

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• In 2017, Jerry was hit by a car near Christopher Columbus Dr. & Grove St. as he walked home at 4:30 p.m

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• He used the crosswalk but a car turned as he crossed, didn’t see him, and hit him.

“Teens on the Move”. October 2014. http://www.safekids.org/research-report/teens-move-october-2014

Teens Pay High Price

A teen pedestrian is injured/killed every hour

by a car in the U.S.

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Teens 15-19 = ½ of

pedestrian deaths

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Real NJ Tragedy - Bayville

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January 26, 2020

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• 17 year old male hit by car at intersection of Rt 37 & Rt 166. He was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries.

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• Teen attempted to cross the road. He was 60 feet away from the crosswalk and he crossed despite a red pedestrian signal

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• He was wearing dark clothing and was hit by a car who had the right of way and did not see him.

WAVE

Safe Crossing Rules

LOOK

LISTEN

STOP

PARA

MIRA

ESCUCHA

SALUDA

Video on Safety Rules,

Look LRL & Wave

Obeying Pedestrian Signals Video

*“Teen and Distraction An In-Depth Look at Teens’ Walking Behavior”. http://www.safekids.org/research-report/research-report-teens-and-distraction-august-2013

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Top 4 distractions =

text, music, phone, games

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How Many Teens Are Distracted And Why?

Distracted Drivers & Pedestrians

WSJ: Texting While Walking �Slows You Down

Avoiding Distractions and Listening for Noises

“Teens on the Move”. October 2014. http://www.safekids.org/research-report/teens-move-october-2014

When and Why Do Many Pedestrian Crashes Occur?

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75% of teen pedestrian fatalities happen

Between 7 pm-7am

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Be Safe Be Seen

Stop, Look, Listen, & Wave!

BE SAFE, BE SEEN!

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Idling is Unhealthy and Hurts Kids

• Idling happens when the car engine is on but the car is not moving. Often occurs at pickup after school.

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• Asthma is the #1 chronic disease of kids. Idling makes asthma worse

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• Kids are most affected because their lungs are growing and kids breathe in 50% more pollution per pound of body weight than adults.

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• An idling car makes 20x more pollution than a car going 30 miles per hour so ask your parenst not to idle.

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Healthy Eating!

Good Nutrition Starts With…

• Protein for Power & Muscle
• Half the plate should be fruits & veggies, aim for color & variety
• Whole Grains = Energy Gains
• Drink lots of water! Avoid soda which is loaded with sugar

Recap - Being Safe Requires:

• Pay attention-don’t be distracted
• Stop, Look, Listen, Wave
• Be Safe, Be Seen
• Walk Left, Facing Traffic if no sidewalks
• Wave and Make Eye Contact with drivers

Enter the SRTS Safety Poster Contest

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• 8.5 x 11 paper
• Name, grade, school on front
• What did you learn?
• Make it colorful & creative
• Possible Prizes

(helmet, bell, lights, string bag)

• Email your poster to info@ezride.org

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Questions?

• Call or email the EZ Ride Bike and Pedestrian Program team at llee@ezride.org or 201-939-4242, ext. 3

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• Check out our webpage and Library of Bike and Pedestrian activities, videos & info at https://ezride.org/transportation/bikepedestrian-program/

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