Kids, Cars and Congestion coming to a School Zone near You

NEWS from AAA Oklahoma, Aug. 13 – As 56 million students across the U. S. get ready to start the 2010-2011 school year, AAA reminds motorists to be aware of increased child pedestrian activity and traffic congestion in and around neighborhoods and school zones. With more than half of those students in elementary school, AAA urges drivers to be especially cautious and alert during morning and afternoon hours.

• Follow the speed limit. School zone speed limits are purposefully set low. Children are unpredictable and may have difficulty gauging the distance and speed of an approaching car.
• Look for AAA School Safety Patrollers. With more than half a million AAA School Safety Patrollers at 30,000 schools across the country, they’re a sure sign you’re approaching a school zone.
• Come to a complete stop at intersections with stop signs. Research shows that more than one third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods.
• Always stop for loading or unloading school busses. It may be tempting to drive around stopped school busses, but not only is it dangerous, it’s against the law, whether approaching a stopped school bus from either direction.
• Eliminate driver distraction. AAA research shows that taking your eyes off the road for two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. Putting down your cell phone makes you a safer driver and sets a good example for young passengers and pedestrians. Never text while driving.
• Plan Ahead. Leave early for your destination and build in extra time to allow for congestion. Modify your route to avoid school zones and traffic.

AAA news releases, high resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.

Stay connected with AAA on the web via: Twitter.com/AAAnews,  Twitter.com/AAASafety, Twitter.com/AAAauto,  YouTube.com/AAA,  MySpace.com/AAAeveryday,  Facebook.com/AAAFanPage