DCPS bike safety program expands to secondary schools after crashes where students were hurt, killed

Yahoo

30-04-2025

It's an update on an initiative to improve the safety of Duval County Public Schools students.
In January, Action News Jax reported on the district's launch of a new pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign.
It came after a series of crashes, some fatal, involving at least 13 DCPS students.
On Wednesday, in St. Johns County, a prayer vigil was held for a sixth-grade boy recovering after crashing his e-bike in St. Johns County on Monday night.
The vigil started at 6 p.m. and was held at Plantation Park Turf Field.
Monday's incident is just the latest example of the importance of programs like Be Safe Be Seen.
RELATED: Duval County Public Schools launches pedestrian, bicycle safety campaign
No matter the county, there is always a need to increase attention when it comes to young people and traffic safety.
Inside ZenCog Bicycle shop in Jacksonville, owner Garfield Cooper maintains around 25 bikes, part of a traveling trailer that teaches young DCPS students bike and pedestrian safety.
'It's super important for me that the bikes are safe enough for my grandchildren, somebody else's grandchildren,' Cooper said.
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At Atlantic Coast High School, Dr. Heather Albritton showed Action News Jax a 'traffic garden' that simulates real-life traffic situations for students.
The continuing work to educate and boost student safety is an expansion of the 'Be Safe, Be Seen' program to address the number of students being hit by cars.
Albritton said there have been three student fatalities this year, all before February.
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'The students that were involved in these incidents were secondary students. And so we felt the need to expand that curriculum and that instruction to our middle school and high school students to make sure that we reinforce what we have already taught them in elementary,' Albritton said.
Back at the bike shop, Tocknell said there are plans to take this program in motion to other counties and school districts.
'We are very committed to teaching bicycle safety, any opportunity we can get. We hope we can get another trailer to supplement the trailer that the school system has and if it belongs to us, then we can use the trailer in counties besides Duval County, like St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties,' said Tocknell, who is the President for Pedaling for Safety, and an advocate for bicycle safety.
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