Safety City is a mobile traffic safety program for school children that uses an actual miniature city with buildings simulating a typical traffic environment, complete with streets, sidewalks, traffic lights, traffic signs, and crosswalks to teach children about traffic safety through hands-on experience.
To give the program a realistic traffic environment, participants maneuver through the miniature city setting on little pedal cars, bicycles and as pedestrians.
Each year approximately 8,000 youngsters are seriously injured or killed in traffic incidents nationwide. The worst part is that many of these tragedies could have been prevented if the children had only known the dangers of the situation and been better prepared to deal with them.
Motor vehicle incidents are the leading cause of preventable death for children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. In addition, approximately 3,500 children in this age group are injured each year as pedestrians. Our children can be at risk as they walk to and from school, ride in cars and buses, and drive bicycles.
Safety City gives them a start-a chance-to learn traffic safety so that we in EMS do not have to respond to a preventable tragedy involving a child. Injury Prevention is “Actively causing something not to happen.” That’s what EPIC Medics and the California Paramedic Foundation are all about.
