There’s only one more weekend to soak in those school-free-summer-vibes.
Because classes are back in sesh for Seattle Public Schools on Wednesday, Sept. 4!
Oh my gosh, we know!! Kids are cryin’ – parents are cryin’ (with happiness).
When school begins, more people will be traveling the streets and because we care about everyone, we’re asking you to be all the more watchful, careful/caring, thoughtful, and all the other ‘fuls’ and ‘ings’ when it comes to traveling safely.
Your City is on a Vision Zero mission.
While we live in one of the safest cities in the country, we still see more than 10,000 crashes a year resulting in an average of 20 people losing their lives and more than 150 people seriously injured. These are our friends, neighbors, and family members. Our goal is to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.
Traffic collisions aren’t accidents – they’re preventable through smarter street design, targeted enforcement, and thoughtful public engagement.
We have a Safe Routes to School program that works to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school and improve safety in areas around schools.
Safe Routes to School is a national movement to make it easier and safer for students to walk and bike to school.
We partnered with Reel Grrls – a non-profit org that teaches the youth to engage critically and creatively with digital media to create positive social change. Reel Grrls invited the City of Seattle youth to participate in a video challenge to educate people about the City’s Safe Routes to School Program and Vision Zero.
This video program is part of the education component of our Safe Routes to School five-year action plan. The goal is to uplift youth voices and improve our messaging around safety, and what better way to do that than to use content created by the youth themselves?
While a lot of you were summer vibin’,…
We’ve been busy working on traffic calming projects (like installing school zone flashing beacons) as well as sidewalk installations to help kids get to school safely. Here are two featured ones:
- In South Park, there’re new 20 mph flashing beacons on S Cloverdale St between 7th Ave S and SR99. This is a key walking and biking route for Concord Elementary School students – connecting the school, the library, the community center, and playfield.
- We’re replacing a painted walkway with a permanent concrete walkway on 8th Ave S between S Southern St and S Sullivan St. By upgrading sidewalks, we’re creating a safe and accessible place for children to travel to and from school, home, sports games, and other activities.
Together, we can make Seattle’s streets safer for everyone. Remember these 3 things when traveling through a school zone.
? PAY ATTENTION
Paying attention is absolutely crucial. Whether you’re behind the wheel, on wheels, or on your feet – please, please put the phone away + anything that will take your eyes off the road. Because taking your eyes off the road for even a couple of seconds could be a life or death decision.
✌️ SLOW DOWN
Speed is a critical factor for how likely someone is to survive a crash. A person hit by a car traveling 40 mph has a 90 percent chance of being killed, but if that car is moving 20 mph then they have a 90 percent chance of surviving.
When you’re passing a school that’s in session, the speed limit is always 20 mph. That’s also the speed limit for residential streets in Seattle. Major roads in Seattle are 25 mph.
? LET PEOPLE CROSS
Every intersection is a crosswalk according to the law, whether or not it’s painted. If you see someone waiting to cross the street, then stop so that they can walk across the street safely.
Find your best & safest routes to school with our interactive Safe Routes to School Walking Maps.
Our maps show walking and biking conditions to help you navigate the best and safest route to school. And on that note, take much care, Seattle. Safe travels to you all and welcome back to school!