Enforcement & safety management

Adult school crossing guard training is an essential step to help insure that the guard is performing properly. Training should be extended to substitute guards as well as those who supervise the crossing guards. Training methods include both classroom instruction and field exercises. Topics addressed should include:

No absolute national criteria exist for identifying which street crossings in a community require an adult school crossing guard. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides some general federal guidance on how to determine the need for a guard at a particular location.

Some states and local governments provide further guidance or recommendations, but the conditions under which a guard is assigned to a particular location vary around the country.

An adult school crossing guard can be a paid employee or a volunteer member of the community. Paid employees may be preferred because an employer has the ability to train, evaluate and discipline an employee. Every prospective guard should undergo a basic physical examination and criminal background check. A guard should have good vision, hearing and mobility, be able to stand for long periods of time outdoors and to communicate well with others.

The authors of this study describe what they learned through conducting studies to monitor community bicycle helmet use by children, and they share strategies and methods that they found useful in conducting bicycle helmet use studies.