As Florida students head back to school, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, its division of the Florida Highway Patrol, and safety partners throughout the state are working to educate and engage Florida’s parents, caregivers, and motorists on the importance of safe driving with and around children through FLHSMV’s Child Safety Awareness Month campaign.
In 2022, there were a total of 119,903 children ages 0 to 17 involved in a crash in Florida as either a passenger, driver, or pedestrian, resulting in 1,220 serious bodily injuries and 156 fatalities. As children travel to and from school, motorists must ensure they arrive safely by obeying school-zone speed limits, remaining attentive around child pedestrians and bicyclists, and properly stopping for school buses. In 2022, there were 3,000 school bus crashes in Florida.
“Safety is always a priority, and when it comes to our kids, the best way to teach them safety is to practice it,” said Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gary Howze II. “Kids learn from watching those around them, and when they observe a parent or loved one engaging in safe practices, they are more likely to do the same.”
In 2022, almost 30 percent of child passengers killed in vehicle crashes in Florida were not wearing any type of restraint. A seat belt or child restraint is a vehicle’s most important safety feature, but it only works if they are used and used correctly, every time. Florida law requires the use of seat belts or child restraint devices by drivers of motor vehicles, all front-seat passengers, and all children under 18 riding in a vehicle. Florida law also requires children ages 5 and under to be secured properly in a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device.
We all need to slow down and pay attention to safety with back-to-school season right around the corner.
