We’re hitting the pavement with a new road safety initiative. The Walking Safety Workshops are for Winnipeg’s youngest pedestrians.
Interactive presentations are being given to elementary school students. They cover important lessons on walking safety, like how to safely cross the street or walk on a busy road.
“Small children are vulnerable on the road, and we want to empower them to be safe when walking,” said Denae Penner, the Road Safety Outreach Coordinator with the City of Winnipeg.
We want to help them develop safer habits early in life and help reduce stress for parents and teachers.
To help drive home the message, students are taken on a walking field trip around their school. They go to crosswalks and intersections to learn how to navigate them safely.
“We hope by teaching children how to be safe and respectful when walking at a young age, they are more likely to be safe when driving or biking as they get older,” said Penner.
Presentations will be given to over 400 students and staff at nine schools this month. It was important to offer the workshops during October. All month is ‘Walktober’, an initiative that encourages kids to walk safely. Youth Road Safety Week is also marked during the last full week of October.
“We’ve received positive feedback from students and staff,” said Penner. “Everyone seems to learn something new, including teachers.”
The workshops stem from the Road Safety Strategic Action Plan. This is first year we’re offering them. We anticipate offering them again in the future as part of Walktober.