Do you know where your children are?
While neighbouring Barrie police are reporting no serious issues during local weekend festivities, now that the final school bells have rung for the summer, they say there’s lots parents should be doing to help keep their kids safe over the next two months.
“Sometimes kids just need a friendly reminder from parents. It’s been a long 10 months since they were last on summer vacation,” said Peter Leon, communications co-ordinator with the Barrie police. “The last thing we want to see is anyone get seriously injured or worse.”
While looking both ways before crossing the street seems like a no-brainer, kids could benefit from a reminder before venturing out, says Leon.
“It’s the simple things like that that maybe are overlooked, that can keep everyone safe at the end of the day,” he adds.
While venturing out on the bicycles or skateboards, Leon says wearing a helmet is key.
“If they’re crossing the street, technically they should be getting off their bicycle to walk it across. They should be making sure they stop for stop signs if they’re travelling on the road,” he said.
In Barrie, it is legal for anyone to ride their bikes on the sidewalk if they feel unsafe riding them on the road, and Leon encourages them do to so.
“If they’re dealing with busier streets and are in an area with lots of vehicular traffic, the safest place for them is probably on the sidewalk,” he said. “But they also need to be respectful of pedestrians on the sidewalk. You can signal (your presence) with a bell, because you’re supposed to have a bell on your bike. Or, if you’re coming up on somebody, just announce your presence.”
If your kids aren’t strong swimmers, they should be wearing a personal flotation device, whether they’re in a pool or down by the lake.
“Letting your child go in the pool unattended could be a recipe for disaster,” said Leon.
Dangers to your children don’t only lurk outside your home.
“Make sure your child, if they’re going to be on the internet, they’re doing it in a place where parents have open access to it. Not behind a closed door in a bedroom,” he said. “It’s important to re-establish those internet rules in the home.”
“You can’t use an Xbox or any other electronic device as a babysitter. Kids can get into trouble just as easily on that as they can outside,” adds Leon.
When leaving older kids and teenagers home alone, Leon advises parents ensure all doors to the home are locked and that kids are provided with a phone number to call in the event of an issue.
“It’s about re-establishing rules to abide by. If the parents have to step out and should feel comfortable enough to leave the child alone to do so,” he said.
While some of the safety tips may seem like common sense, Leon says it’s important for parents to establish a safety routine every year.
“Do they right thing today so you can enjoy it again tomorrow,” said Leon.
For more safety tips for both parents and kids from the Barrie police, click here.
