Ohio Safe Routes to School
Teaching Walking/Biking Safety
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) created the “Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe” Ohio Safe Routes to School campaign to educate Ohio’s 1.2 million K-8th graders, their families, teachers and school officials on appropriate safety practices for walking and bicycling to school.
Keep It Safe Out the Door
Between 2008 and 2010, 11,734 bicycle and pedestrian-related crashes occurred within two miles of Ohio K-8 schools. The result? 244 fatalities and 7,350 injuries. ODOT believes improved safety education will encourage safer behaviors helping to reduce injuries and fatalities near schools. Ohio’s First Lady, Karen Waldbillig Kasich, serves as ambassador for the Ohio Safe Routes to School program.
Improved Fitness and Learning
By incorporating walking/bicycling safety education into classroom activities, schools can help more young students enjoy the benefits this good exercise brings including:
- Better health and improved academic performance
- Increased self-confidence
- Reduction in traffic and pollution near schools
$32 Million Awarded to Ohio Schools
Along with the “Every Move You Make, Keep It Safe” educational campaign, ODOT has awarded nearly $32 million (ODOT Safe Routes to School Site) dollars since 2005 to help more than 400 schools improve safety through engineering projects such as safe walking paths and upgraded crossings as well as non-engineering projects such as bicycle education and encouragement programs for walkers. These improvements are designed to make it safer for Ohio students in grades K-8 to get to school under their own steam.
Safe Routes To Schools Is Part of a Nationwide Effort to:
- Improve overall safety on school routes
- Encourage Ohio’s school children to bike or walk to school
- Remind all travelers to drive safely in school zones
- Support more school awareness and planning around safety