MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Fire officials are working to prevent pedestrian accidents by teaching Cardinal Elementary School students how to stay safe while walking to school in an area with few sidewalks.
"Every accident that we respond to where a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle is a preventable accident," said Wydeck.
Fire Inspector Jack Wydeck with the Muskegon Charter Township Fire Department is teaching students at Cardinal Elementary School to be proactive about their safety after a concerning trend in the area.
"A couple years ago, we had a string of car pedestrian accidents here in the township, just kind of pardon the pun, but it lit a fire under me that this is a problem that we can pretty easily take care of," said Wydeck.
The area surrounding Cardinal Elementary School doesn't have many sidewalks, creating potential hazards for students who walk to school.
"We do have a lot of kids that walk to school, and it can be dark in the morning, so we just want to make sure our kids are aware of traffic so that they can get safe to school and safe to the parks, because we don't want to have a tragedy in our community," said Assistant Principal E'lyse Benson.
Students are learning important safety tips from the program, including wearing bright clothing and walking against traffic.
"You should wear colored clothes so the cars can see you," one student explained. Another student added, "You walk when the cars are coming towards you, and you walk the opposite way of them."
Wydeck emphasized the importance of this practice: "When you walk against a vehicle, you have a better chance of seeing that car coming at you so you can make a decision about when it's safe to get off the side of the road."
The fire department is providing students with take-home materials to reinforce these safety lessons.
"The kids are taking home a pamphlet that they're able to bring home with some additional information about how to be safe. They're also getting a reflective arm band to be more visible on the roads," said Wydeck.
The school is also working on a long-term solution to improve pedestrian safety in the area.
"We're also working with Michigan State on a grant called Safe Routes to School. We're still in the process of that, but hopefully by the end of that, we will have sidewalks installed in our community," said Benson.
Wydeck hopes to expand these safety lessons statewide, as he believes even one accident involving a child is too many.
When asked if they would remember the safety tips, one student confidently replied, "Yes, because you have to be safe and I have to be safe so I have to remember it all so I stay safe."
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