9781422288368

Road Safety

Bully on Campus & Online Drugs & Alcohol Gunman on Campus Natural Disasters Navigating Cyberspace

Peer Pressure & Relationships Protecting Your Body: Germs, Superbugs, Poison, & Deadly Diseases Road Safety Sports Stranger Danger Terrorism & Perceived Terrorism Threats

Road Safety

Christie Marlowe

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3044-2 ISBN: 978-1-4222-3052-7 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8836-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marlowe, Christie. Road safety / Christie Marlowe. pages cm. -- (Safety first) Includes index. Audience: Ages 10+ Audience: Grade 4 to 6.

ISBN 978-1-4222-3044-2 (series)—ISBN 978-1-4222-3052-7 (hardback)—ISBN 978-1-4222- 8836-8 (ebook) 1. Traffic safety--Juvenile literature. 2. Pedestrians--Safety measures--Juvenile literature. 3. Safety education--Juvenile literature. I. Title. HE5614.M298 2015 363.12’5--dc23 2014003853

Contents

Introduction

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1. Real-Life Stories

2. What Makes the Road a Dangerous Place?

19 27 37 46 47

3. Staying Safe and Being Prepared 4. What Can You Do to Stay Safe?

Find Out More

Index

About the Author & Consultant and Picture Credits

48

Introduction N o task is more important than creating safe schools for all children. It should not re- quire an act of courage for parents to send their children to school nor for children to come to school. As adults, we must do everything reasonable to provide a school climate that is safe, secure, and welcoming—an environment where learning can f lourish. The educational effectiveness and the strength of any nation is dependent upon a strong and effective educational system that empowers and prepares young people for meaningful and purposeful lives that will promote economic competitiveness, national defense, and quality of life. Clearly adults are charged with the vital responsibility of creating a positive educational cli- mate. However, the success of young people is also affected by their own participation. The pur- pose of this series of books is to articulate what young adults can do to ensure their own safety, while at the same time educating them as to the steps that educators, parents, and communities are taking to create and maintain safe schools. Each book in the series gives young people tools that will empower them as participants in this process. The result is a model where students have the information they need to work alongside parents, educators, and community leaders to tackle the safety challenges that face young people every day. Perhaps one of the most enduring and yet underrated challenges facing young adults is bully- ing. Ask parents if they can remember the schoolyard bully from when they were in school, and the answers are quite revealing. Unfortunately, the situation is no better today—and new venues for bullying exist in the twenty-first-century world that never existed before. A single bully can intimidate not only a single student but an entire classroom, an entire school, and even an entire community. The problem is underscored by research from the National School Safety Center and the United States Secret Service that indicates that bullying was involved in 80 percent of school shootings over the past two decades. The title in this series that addresses this problem is a valu- able and essential tool for promoting safety and stopping bullying. Another problem that has been highlighted by the media is the threat of violence on our school campuses. In reality, research tells us that schools are the safest place for young people to be. After an incident like Columbine or Sandy Hook, however, it is difficult for the public, including students, to understand that a youngster is a hundred times more likely to be assaulted or killed

6

at home or in the community than at school. Students cannot help but absorb the fears that are so prevalent in our society. Therefore, a frank, realistic, discussion of this topic, one that avoids hysteria and exaggeration, is essential for our young people. This series offers a title on this topic that does exactly that. It addresses questions such as: How do you deal with a gunman on the cam- pus? Should you run, hide, or confront? We do not want to scare our children; instead, we want to empower them and reassure them as we prepare them for such a crisis. The book also covers the changing laws and school policies that are being put in place to ensure that students are even safer from the threat of violence in the school. “Stranger danger” is another safety threat that receives a great deal of attention in the modern world. Again, the goal should be to empower rather than terrify our children. The book in this series focusing on this topic provides young readers with the essential information that will help them be “safety smart,” not only at school but also between home and school, at play, and even when they are home alone. Alcohol and drug abuse is another danger that looms over our young people. As many as 10 per- cent of American high school students are alcoholics. Meanwhile, when one student was asked, “Is there a drug problem in your school?” her reply was, “No, I can get all the drugs I want.” A book in this series focuses on this topic, giving young readers the information they need to truly compre- hend that drugs and alcohol are major threats to their safety and well-being. From peer pressure to natural disasters, from road dangers to sports safety, the Safety First series covers a wide range of other modern concerns. Keeping children and our schools safe is not an isolated challenge. It will require all of us working together to create a climate where young people can have safe access to the educational opportunities that will promote the success of all children as they transition into becoming responsible citizens. This series is an essential tool for classrooms, libraries, guidance counselors, and community centers as they face this challenge.

Dr. Ronald Stephens Executive Director National School Safety Center www.schoolsafety.us

7

Words to Know suburban: Outside the city. unconscious: Not awake and aware, sometimes due to an injury, accident, or health issue.

Chapter One

Real-Life Stories

A lex started riding a bicycle when he was only five years old. He even remembers the day he learned to ride without his training wheels—the speed, the wind blowing past his face. That was a very special day. For Alex, it meant that he finally had some free- dom. He no longer had to rely on his mom to get him from one place to another. A little bit of the road was finally his. But what Alex didn’t know was that if we don’t put our safety first, the road can be a very dangerous place. ALEX AND SUBURBAN ROADS Growing up in a suburban town was, in some ways, really great. Alex’s school was big, which meant that he had a lot of friends in his neighborhood, and his home had a big yard, which gave him a lot of space to play. But as he grew older, Alex didn’t only want to stay at home. And having to ask his mom for rides when he wanted to go to the store or to a friend’s house was annoying. In a city, Alex wouldn’t always need his mom if he wanted to leave the house. People who live in cit- ies have many ways to get around—taxis, buses, and trains, for example—and things are so close together in a city that a lot of places are within walking distance. Safety around roads in the city is also very important, but we’ll talk more about that more later.

9

Bikes can be a great way to get around, but they can also be dangerous. Make sure you respect traffic laws and be careful around cars whenever you’re biking on the road.

Road Safety

10

Even if you’re not driving, you have to be aware of traffic laws and the cars around you. Roads can be very dangerous, so it’s important to be aware of traffic.

Walking around his neighborhood was a pretty safe way to travel if Alex made sure to look both ways before crossing the street and to stay aware of the cars and people around him. But it was also tiring and difficult. Sometimes he and his friends would take long walks down to the local grocery store or over to the next neighborhood to visit friends. But if he wanted to go any further, he had to ask his mom for a ride—or ride his bike. ALEX IGNORES THE RULES OF THE ROAD Alex always loved his bike. Once his mom finally let him travel further than a few streets from his house, Alex always seemed to be on his bike. He rode it to school, to stores, to visit friends, to the local park, and to play sports with his friends. All of his riding worried his mom. There are a lot of cars on the road, and she was scared that Alex wasn’t staying safe. She told him all she could about staying safe on the road. She told Alex

Real-Life Stories

11

Many cities are designed for pedestrians and bicycles to get around easily, whereas suburban areas are spaced farther apart, so people often need a car to get around.

Road Safety

12

It can be very dangerous to be biking on the road. In an accident between a bicycle and a car, the bike rider is much more likely to get hurt.

cyclists must follow the same rules drivers follow. She told him always to ride on the right side of the road. In many cities, there is a lane set aside for bikers. But in the suburbs, there usually isn’t a separate lane for people riding their bikes. Alex’s mom told him to make sure he stayed far enough to the side of the road that he wouldn’t be in the way of traffic. She told him to always stop at stop signs and red lights, and to be extra careful at railroad crossings. She told Alex to make sure he used a hand signal whenever crossing the street or making a turn. She made sure that his bike had four ref lectors—one on the front, one on the back, and one on each wheel—for riding after dark. Ref lectors are anything shiny that ref lects light. When the light from a car hits them, they light up so that the driver in the car can see them. Most important, she made sure he always wore his helmet and wore it properly. Alex mostly ignored his mom’s warnings, however. He rarely stopped at stop signs or red lights. He seldom used hand signals. Sometimes, after leaving the house, he would take off his helmet

Real-Life Stories

13

The best way to avoid head injuries from a bike accident is to wear a helmet. It can be tempting not to, but if you’re biking, you should always wear your helmet!

Road Safety

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