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Every year, an estimated 800 children lose their lives due to school-related travel or activity. As this new school year approaches, we at Rue & Ziffra, P.A. hope that you will review the following tips with your family to ensure safe and pleasant travels.
Tips for School Bus Riders - Share with your Children
Although the school bus is the safest form of transportation available to your child, it is not without fault. On average, 17,000 children are injured each year in school bus accidents across the country. In most cases, these injuries, and even sometimes fatalities, occur when the school bus is approaching a bus stop.
*Do not loiter or play in the street while waiting for the bus - Distraction can lead to tragedy
*Line up facing the bus - Do not assemble alongside it
*Move immediately onto the sidewalk and out of traffic after getting off the bus
*Wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street - Walk at least 10 steps away from the front of the bus so that the driver can see you
Tips for Drivers and Passengers
On any given day, nearly 700 children are harmed due to motor vehicle accidents. In fact, this is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 2 and 14 in our country. Fortunately, in many cases, the severity of these accidents can be decreased by following some of the safety tips highlighted below.
*Young children should be in safety seats at all times and older children should always wear their seat belt - Failure to do either contributes to more than half of all car accident deaths in the US
*Children under 13 years should ride in the rear seat of vehicles
*Teen drivers should be advised to not eat, drink, or talk on the cell phone while behind the wheel | 
