The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Highway Safety Network, and Erie Public Schools recently teamed up to create an original pedestrian-safety themed calendar featuring student-made artwork.
“Children walking to school can be some of our most vulnerable road users and we are making every effort to ensure they know what is expected of them to prevent crashes from happening. This was a fun and unique way to tackle the challenge,” said Mike Tautin, a Community Traffic Safety Project Coordinator with the Highway Safety Network.
Representatives from PennDOT and the Highway Safety Network spent a day with second- and third-grade students at Harding Elementary School in September to share best practices to stay safe when walking on, near, or across a road.
Students were tasked with drawing a picture depicting a safety tip they learned during the presentation. A panel of regional PennDOT employees selected 18 of their favorite sketches, which were published in the calendar.
“It is important for us to make sure children begin to learn safe walking habits at a young age, so they practice them long into their adult years,” Tautin said.
The collaboration is part of PennDOT’s ongoing initiative to reduce pedestrian-related crashes through educational outreach in the northwest region.
In 2024, there 104 pedestrian-related crashes in PennDOT’s District 1, which includes Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties. These crashes resulted in 94 injuries and 11 fatalities, according to PennDOT data.
PennDOT recommends pedestrians always wear bright, reflective clothing when walking to help drivers see them, to always cross at crosswalks or signalized intersections, and to walk on the correct side of the road against traffic while eliminating all distractions, such as using a cell phone or wearing earbuds.
Copies of the calendar, which were paid for by the Highway Safety Network, were distributed to all of the second- and third-grade students at Harding Elementary School last week
A digital copy of the pedestrian-safety calendar can be viewed on the PennDOT District 1 webpage at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
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Editor’s Note: A picture is included below as an example of the student-made artwork used in the calendar. This submission highlights the importance of being visible as a pedestrian, using the crosswalk, and obeying signals.
MEDIA CONTACT: Saxon Daugherty, sadaughert@pa.gov or 814-678-7095
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