Crossing
Cool Program
|
DRIVE
SMART Colorado Springs collaborated with School District 11 (Colorado
Springs’ largest school district), the El Paso County Department
of Health and Environments Adolescent Health Program, Colorado Springs
Police Department, Colorado Springs Fire Department, American Medical
Response, Colorado Springs Safe Kids and City Traffic Engineering to create a program
geared toward the middle school student focusing on pedestrian safety
and injury prevention. Crossing Cool was created and was designed
after the success of the DRIVE SMART High School Traffic Safety
Challenge. This is a two-week student-run campaign where selected
students document peers crossing the street safety or unsafely as
they walk to school, parents using good or bad behaviors while dropping
students off. Students then must watch a mandatory video, possibly
invite other speakers to present and then do a second observation.
It is hoped that at the end of the two-week campaign, more positive
behaviors will be observed.
The
inaugural year (2002) was a pilot program year where only District
11 schools were invited to participate. Six D-11 middle schools
participated. 
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