City providing safety lights for kids to wear while walking to bus stops

Oct 5, 2007
It's not a firefly, UFO or shooting star you're seeing first thing in the morning. It's a Port St. Lucie school kid and police officers want you to drive with all the caution in the world.

Hoping to make kids more visible when they walk to school bus stops on dark mornings, Port St. Lucie City Council members and police officials are supporting a program to distribute flashing lights that can be worn on backpacks and waistbands.

The strobe lights will be distributed by school resource offices and bus drivers at every school in Port St. Lucie. Kids who ride buses to school will be given the lights first, and those who have the earliest routes will be a priority.

The hexagonal-shaped lights weigh only one ounce, and come with a clip that will fasten to a belt, a pocket or even a shirt sleeve. They can be set to flash mode or can be left on without blinking and are visible up to 3,500 feet.

About 1,600 lights have been purchased with $6,200 of city money, but various businesses and social groups will donate money to purchase more.

The program to distribute the lights was prompted by recent serious accidents in the area involving kids walking to bus stops in early morning darkness. The city has been installing sidewalks outside schools for the last several months, but Council members and police officers are looking for more immediate ways to prevent any future accidents. In the meantime, Mayor Patricia P. Christensen is asking drivers to use extra precaution in the morning and is reminding to parents to remind their children of the importance of making safe habits when walking in or near the road.

For more information, call the police Department at (772) 871-5000.