Setting Up a Safety Course
Step #1: Put your plan into action:
- Create a countdown calendar for presenting the safety course
Step #2: 3 months before/ahead of your Racing for Safety course, do the following:
- Decide who you will teach. You can work with children at a school, church group, neighborhood, or scout group versus an entire community.
- Identify your goals for the course. A list of possible goals is noted below:
- Reduce injuries and deaths to children in your community
- Provide safety education to children
- Offer information, tools, and resources for children with disabilities and adapted bikes
- Involve youth leadership
- Obtain and distribute donated helmets to children in need of helmets
- Gather information on where children ride bikes, scooters, skateboards, in-line skate, and walk. How often are children hurt or killed?
- Invite local community groups to help on your planning team. They can assist in developing and promoting the program, providing refreshments, and recruiting volunteers. A sample letter of invitation can be printed.
- Choose a location, date, and times. A parking lot, gymnasium, or playground area that is hard-surfaced and traffic-free works best. Make certain you have necessary permission to use the site.
- Recruit volunteers and assign tasks.
- Mount poster stock traffic safety signs on a stiff cardboard stand, or, request signs from Community Education and Child Advocacy Department at Riley Hospital. Call 1-888-365-2022 or write The Community Education and Child Advocacy Department, Riley Hospital for Children, 575 West Drive, Room 008, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5272.
- Laminate traffic safety signs so that they can become a permanent education resource. Guidelines for making a cardboard stand to support each sign are enclosed with the packet of traffic safety signs.
- Review Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheets.
- Contact potential sponsors to support the event with resources like refreshments, prizes, extra bicycles for use during the event, or publicity.
- Contact local emergency medical services to be present at the event for support or involve someone with first aid/CPR certification.
Step #3: 2 months before/ahead of your Racing for Safety course, do the following:
- Publish information about the bike and pedestrian safety course in your community through local newspapers, newsletters, meetings, schools, churches, etc.
- Begin preparing press and media information.
- Display posters about the bike and pedestrian safety course in your community.
- Invite a local pediatrician to serve as a spokesperson for the event. Contact Riley Community Education and Child Advocacy for more information on identifying local pediatricians who could help.
Step #4: 1 month before/ahead of your Racing for Safety course, do the following:
- Confirm location and finalize details for course.
- Contact radio, television, and newspapers for public service announcement support or coverage of course.
- Complete and distribute press packet to media.
- Secure all necessary supplies for the safety course.
- Meet with volunteers to review their responsibilities for staffing the bike and pedestrian safety course.
