This May will mark the 24th anniversary of National Walk Safely to School Day championed by the Pedestrian Council Australia who are calling on local primary schools to lace up and participate.
Whittlesea Primary School students Margaret (10), Melinda (10), Gabby (10) and Edmund (12) will join their classmates on Friday, May 19, to take part in Walk Safely to School Day.
Looking ahead, the students shared tips for parents and kids to help them take the step towards this healthy habit.
“If you live too far from school to walk the whole way you could park your car at a park close by and walk the rest of the way to school,” Gabby (10) said.
“If you live close to your friends, you can organise to walk together,” Melinda (10) said.
Primary school children across Australia will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school in an effort to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking, or alternative active transport can achieve.
Harold Scruby, chief executive of the Pedestrian Council of Australia said that children must always hold the hand of an adult when crossing the road up until they are 10-years-old.
“Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. We should encourage them to take a walk before school, during and at the end of their day,” Mr Scruby said.
The Pedestrian Council is encouraging a community effort from parents, teachers, and carers to play their role in helping children and young people lead active healthy lives, not just on May 19, but everyday.
Hannah Hammoud
