Drive Safely This School Year: Part One

Summer vacation is officially over for most children in the United States, with more than 55 million children heading back to hit the books. They’ll also be hitting the streets, with over 13% of students walking and riding their bikes to school this year. That means you’ll be seeing a lot of them on your work commute. Of course, this increases the chance for accidents, so AAA is warning drivers to be extra careful during September. Their campaign, “School’s Open – Drive Carefully” has released a list of six things you can do to increase driver awareness and pedestrian safety this fall. Take a look at the first three below!

1.) Slow Down – If you could reduce your chance of killing a pedestrian by over two-thirds, would you? Of course you would, and that’s exactly what happens when drivers obey the school zone speed limits, which are generally about 10 MPH under the speed limit. It’s amazing the difference it makes! Make sure to check the signs when heading into a school zone so you know exactly how fast you can go and what times the speed limit is in effect.

2.) Come to a Complete Stop – Coming to a complete stop is an important part of driver safety, yet it is often overlooked. In fact, research reveals that one-third of drivers roll through stop signs instead of stopping completely. When you are traveling through a school zone or neighborhood, children are often walking the streets, and assume you seem them and will stop for them. By coming to a complete stop and looking around for any pedestrians, you can easily avoid a potentially dangerous collision.

3.) Eliminate Distractions – Distracted driving remains one of the number one causes of car accidents, and when you add in child pedestrians, it’s a deadly combination. Even if you look away for two seconds, you could double your chance of crashing. Children can often be quick and unpredictable, and may not be following the rules of the road either. Eliminate distractions such as eating or using your cell phone behind the wheel, so you can be prepared to stop abruptly if you have to.

Want more suggestions? Visit our blog next week and we’ll give you three more helpful tips from AAA including reversing responsibly, watching out for bicycles, and talking to your teenager drivers.

“AAA Exchange.” School’s Open – Drive Carefully. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2016. <http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/child-safety/schools-open-drive-carefully/#.V74NvJMrJTZ>.

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