Safe Routes to School National Conference:
Creating, Building and Sustaining Momentum, November 5-7-2007
Safe Routes to School is an international movement whose goal is to make it safe, convenient and fun for children to bicycle and walk to school everyday. This improves community and personal health, benefits the environment, increases safety and helps to decrease traffic and congestion around schools.
Safe Routes to School works to reverse the decline in children walking and biking to school. In 1969, approximately 50 percent of children walked or biked to school. Today, fewer than 15 percent of schoolchildren walk or bike to school. As a result, kids today are less active, less independent and less healthy. As much as 20 to 30 percent of morning traffic is generated by parents driving their children to schools. Traffic-related crashes are the number one cause of death and major injury for U.S. children ages one to 17.
For more information about Safe Routes to School, visit the National Center for Safe Routes to School website or the Safe Routes to School National Partnership website.
Everyone interested in the health and safety of children is encouraged to attend. The conference will address the unique needs of those in urban, suburban and rural settings and will be of interest to those working in education, transportation, urban design, public health, bicycling, disabilities and more.
Learn more or sign up at: www.saferoutesmichigan.org/nationalconference.htm.