Every day, I face a heart-stopping moment while trying to cross the road with my children outside their school. It gets extremely dangerous because we're unable to see any oncoming traffic. It only takes seconds for a disaster to occur, and yet we're standing there waiting up to ten agonizing minutes to make it across safely. Far too often, we've had alarmingly close encounters with speeding cars, leaving me and countless other parents feeling helpless and scared.

The road that runs by the school is a hotspot for speeding vehicles. During school pick-up and drop-off times, the lack of a pedestrian crossing becomes glaringly obvious and entirely avoidable. It's a tragedy waiting to happen. Children and families should not have to risk their lives simply to get to school.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pedestrian deaths account for 17% of all traffic fatalities. A pedestrian crossing would give us the safe passage we desperately need and could drastically reduce the risk of an accident happening.

Installing a pedestrian crossing is a straightforward but crucial step towards safeguarding the children and families of our community. We need support from local authorities to prioritize this issue for the safety and wellbeing of all school children.

I urge all parents, community members, and concerned citizens to join me in demanding a pedestrian crossing outside our local school. For the sake of every child's safety, please sign this petition to make our streets safer for everyone.