On 07/31/2013, the children in the Summer Program at the Northport Community Center assisted in a traffic safety project. On July 4th, 2013, a young boy from the neighborhood was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross Northport Dr. from Walgreens, back to the neighborhood. When the child attempted to cross, the first two lanes of traffic yielded to the child, but the driver of a vehicle in the third lane did not, causing a collision.
Recognizing that both drivers and pedestrians traveling through this crosswalk have an obligation to be mindful of one another, I put together a project with the Summer Program Coordinator, Pat Steele at the Northport Apartments in an attempt to reach out to as many of the children as possible to teach them how to safely get across the street in the crosswalk.
I spent time inside with the children talking about crosswalk safety. We then took the children outside for practical application of the safety skills they had learned. Prior to this day, the children made "Slow Down" signs to help heighten awareness of being mindful of the heavy pedestrian traffic. The children, dressed in their bright purple summer program shirts, holding their signs, were then tasked with showing off their safety skills and we practiced safe pedestrian movements in the crosswalk. Below are some pictures of our day!
