This week marks back to school for Memphis and Shelby County area schools — backpacks are packed, alarms are set, and for a lot of families, this is the first time in months that mornings and afternoons will be built around drop-off lines, bus stops, and crosswalks again.
At William’s Walk, this is exactly the kind of ordinary moment we think about. William’s story reminds us every day that it’s not the dramatic, rare crash that changes a family forever — it’s the everyday drive, the everyday walk, the everyday moment when someone is moving just a little too fast or paying too little attention. Back-to-school season brings more of those ordinary moments than almost any other time of year, which makes it one of the most important times to slow down and pay attention.
Why This Week Matters
The data backs up what a lot of parents already feel in their gut. Pedestrian deaths among school-age kids spike hardest in the 3–4 p.m. hour — right around school dismissal — more than any other hour of the day. Teen drivers carry extra risk during this same window: more than one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers happens between 3 and 7 p.m., the after-school stretch when kids are driving home, to practice, or to a job.
School zones themselves are some of the most dangerous stretches of road in any city, not because drivers mean harm, but because so much is happening at once — buses loading, parents double-parking, kids darting between cars, all in a compressed few minutes. And nationally, even after two decades of progress, the pedestrian death rate for kids and teens ages 12 to 19 has ticked back up in recent years, a reminder that this progress isn’t guaranteed. It has to be protected.
For Drivers: A Few Seconds Really Do Matter
- Slow down in school zones, every time — even if you don’t see kids yet, and even if you’re running late.
- Put the phone away before you’re anywhere near a school, bus stop, or crosswalk.
- Expect the unexpected. Kids don’t always look before they step off a curb. Assume they might not see you, even if you see them.
- Watch for buses. If you see flashing lights, stop — kids are crossing, often from angles you won’t expect.
- If you have a new teen driver in the house, talk with them specifically about the after-school window. That’s when the risk is highest, and a five-minute conversation before the first day of school can matter more than any single lecture on driving rules.
For Families Walking or Biking to School
- Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks whenever they’re available. If there’s no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far from the road as possible.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Never assume a driver has seen you — assume the opposite until you know for sure.
- Practice the route together before the first day, especially with younger kids, so the walk or bike ride feels familiar instead of rushed.
- Talk about phones and headphones. It’s tempting to scroll or listen to music on the walk to school, but full attention near traffic is what keeps kids safe.
Investing in the Next Generation of Drivers
This is also exactly why William’s Walk and Maxwell Driving built Steps to Steering: 901 — because so much of what keeps our roads safe starts with how new drivers are trained, not just how carefully they’re told to drive. The program helps Memphis-Shelby County Schools students access formal driver’s education, giving them real instruction and practice behind the wheel before they’re navigating the roads on their own.
As this school year gets underway, we’d love for you to learn more about the program — whether that means passing the word along to a family who could use it, or supporting the scholarship fund that makes it possible.
A Small Ask This Week
However your family gets to school this year — car line, bus, bike, or on foot — take an extra beat this week to slow down and look around. It’s a small thing. But small things, repeated by enough people, are exactly what change the numbers we see year after year. That’s what William’s Walk is built on, and it’s what we’re asking of this whole community as the new school year begins.
Learn more about William’s Walk and the Steps to Steering: 901 at williams-walk.com.