Ride and walk safely this summer | Families

With kids out of school and the threat of snow and freezing temperatures apparently behind us (no guarantees), you will undoubtedly see more pedestrians and bike riders on our streets.  Accordingly, the City of Spokane is issuing reminders for everyone, under a new, snappy slogan:  "Don't compete.  Share the street."

Pedestrians, remember to:

• always cross at corners or in crosswalks
• before crossing a street, look left, right, then left again.
• make sure you're visible to drivers by wearing bright and/or reflective clothing

Bicyclists, remember to:

• always stop at traffic lights and stop signs
• ride with traffic, not against it
• obey traffic laws, just as you would driving a car

Yes, these reminders seem like common sense, but every summer, we have dozens of incidents where people are hurt, sometimes killed, because they ignored simple safety rules and got hit by a car.  For more information, go to Spokane County's nifty safety website:  StickmanKnows.org.

Make sure to review these rules with your kids, and please have a safe summer!