NJ Transit provides educational programing to teach children transit safety

Transit safety

NEWARK, N.J. — To start the 2023 school year, NJ Transit has introduced three safety programs for children of various ages and educational needs. “Special SEAT (Safety Education Awareness Training),” “Protecting our Pedestrians (POP),” and “Safety Rules!” These initiatives have different goals and are designed to “foster a culture of safety and vigilance … ,” as emphasized by NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett in a press release.

Sadly, we hear enough in the news today about civilians being hit by trains — whether they are walking by railroad tracks, riding bikes, or even while driving in motor vehicles. People, children especially, must be made aware of the dangers associated with buses and light rail vehicles, explained New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who is also the NJ Transit board chair.

Each program differs slightly; however the ultimate goal is the same — increased transit safety and awareness for our kids.

Special SEAT is a 40-minute training session that is several weeks long and designed for educating children with special needs. The program uses a modified version of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to increase awareness of transportation safety — such as staying focused/alert on or around rail and track surroundings.

Education provided includes:

• Presentation using puppets, arts and crafts, and natural environment training (NET) play
• Age-appropriate teaching materials and videos
• Safety tips/procedures
• Meets IDEA and Core standards

Program takeaways are:

• No trespassing
• Staying alert of surroundings
• Obeying signs/signals
• Crossing at designated areas only
• Standing behind the safety line on station platforms

Protecting our Pedestrians is a 45-minute interactive program and discussion that tackles the importance of safely crossing streets and intersections, paying attention around traffic hazards and signals, as well as parking lot safety, and more.

Safety Rules! This program, which is also 45 minutes long, educates children on using safe behavior and caution around trains, buses, and light rail vehicles. There is a downloadable activity book that accompanies the Safety Rules! program

For more information on the New Jersey Transit safety programs, click on one of the links above.