Hi, I'm Jason Guari with the personal injury law firm of Murray & Guari.

End of summer means thousands of kids are heading back to school, which means a significant increase of kids on our roadways. There are: New teen drivers heading to high school; child passengers in cars and school buses; bike riders and walkers and even skateboarders on sidewalks and streets. Don't expect that safety is top of mind for these young travelers. After all, they are kids.

The act of getting to and from school has the greatest potential for danger than any other single act performed during the school day. Education is a powerful tool for changing behavior, improving safety skills and promoting responsibility of both adults and children. To help keep kids safe, parents should share these safety tips and relay this information to their children (including their teenagers), and explain that children need to be personally responsible for their own safety, especially when parents aren't around.

Young children are at a greater risk of harm because they are less visible to motorists even SUVs. Children can be less capable than adults of judging time, distance and also speed.

All drivers should be on full alert during the school year, they should be aware of school zones, children waiting at bus stops, and walking and riding bikes. As drivers, we all need to slow down when approaching children. The slower you drive, the more likely you will be able to stop if a child steps into the road. It is always important to scan the roadway in areas where children may be present.

Here is some information to share with your children.

First, make no exceptions to the rule: when in a car, EVERYONE BUCKLE UP. Older kids must be in seat belts, younger kids in booster seats and little ones in child safety seats. As adults we must set examples and always wear a seatbelt.

Second — distractions cause accidents — even death. Teach teenage drivers to avoid eating, using cell phones, texting or adjusting music when driving. These things are distracting and dangerous.

Another tip — Talk to children about being careful getting on and off and walking around their school bus. They should always stay in view of the bus driver and they should always be looking and listening for vehicles.

Children who walk to school should always minimize the number of streets they have to cross. Teach them to stay away from vacant lots and locations with few people around. Find them other kids to walk to school with as there is safety in numbers.

Children on bikes should always wear a helmet and never listen to music while riding. They must be able to hear approaching cars or a car horn. Kids need to follow the rules of the road and obey all traffic signs.

Finally, regularly remind kids to "think safety". To assist you we have created a helpful "How to travel to and from school" safety flyer.

There is no denying that taking precautions such as these will decrease the number of unnecessary accidents, injuries, and fatalities this school year. Be careful, be safe, and be aware.

If you have any questions about this video or any other legal question please contact me at (561) 366-9099 or jguari@murrayguari.com).