Students from Eudora High school, from left, Madeline Dickerson, Alexandria Mott and Tyler Bebee present a skit on pedestrian safety to second-graders Thursday at Sunflower School. Safe Kids Douglas County recently paired up with the Eudora students to educate young people about the importance of safety on the streets.

Pedestrian accidents statewide are on the decline, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation, and that’s great news for kids who walk to school and for those trying to keep them safe.

In 2008 there were 432 pedestrian accidents resulting in injury or death, compared with 613 just 10 years prior. Of those incidents in 2008, 162 involved people under age 19, four resulting in death, KDOT said.

Safe Kids Douglas County, a local organization aimed at injury prevention in youth, recently paired up with a group of Eudora High School students to educate young people about the importance of safety on the streets. A $3,000 dollar federal transportation grant to Sunflower School helped bring that lesson to the second-grade classrooms Thursday morning.

Sunflower School second-graders, from left, Trevor Arellano, Morgan Marsh and Hatoon Barn are a rapt audience during the presentation by Eudora high school students.

“Some people, especially if they don’t have kids or didn’t ever walk to school themselves, they don’t know that some kids may not be paying attention,” Eudora High School senior Alexandria Mott said.

The Eudora group, known as T4, took children on an adventure to and from school — with a slight African detour. Along the way, students encountered several dangerous situations involving street crossings, common street signs and, of course, lions and elephants.

“They’ll remember jumping up and running from a lion and things like that for a lifetime, and meanwhile we’ve snuck in that information,” said Amerika Grewal, a parent of a Sunflower student.

The Eudora high school students also worked with Pinckney School students on Thursday and plan to bring the safety lesson to other area elementary schools.

Safe Kids Douglas County urged more children to walk to school, if possible, saying it’s great exercise, can be very safe and also provide a unique daily adventure.