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Back to School 2008 index |
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 AAA
Urges Motorists to Slow
Down, Stay Alert as Kids
Head Back to School
Orlando, Fla. -
8/6/2008
Safety campaign
aims to curb unsafe
driving in school zones,
neighborhoods
Fifty-six million
children across the
country begin heading
back to school this
month, and AAA is urging
motorists to slow down
and stay alert in
neighborhoods and school
zones with its 75th
annual
School’s Open—Drive
Carefully
campaign.
Unsafe driving in
school zones
AAA’s
School’s Open—Drive
Carefully
campaign hopes to
curb a trend of unsafe
driving behavior in
school zones and
neighborhoods that can
result in children’s
injury and sometimes
death.
Pedestrian injury is
the second leading cause
of injury-related death
in the United States for
children ages 5 to 15,
according to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention. More than
33,500 children were
treated in emergency
rooms for
pedestrian-related
injuries in 2005.
Nearly half (45
percent) of vehicles
observed in school zones
and residential
neighborhoods during a
2003 national
observational survey did
not come to a complete
stop at stop signs.
37 percent
rolled through a
stop sign
Seven percent
did not even slow
down
Additionally, nearly a
third of motorists
violated stop signs when
a child pedestrian was
present, and two-thirds
exceeded the posted speed
limit during the
30-minutes before and
after school.
AAA targets motorists
with safe driving message
AAA’s
School’s Open—Drive
Carefully
campaign encourages
motorists to stay alert
in areas where children
are present by its local
clubs utilizing posters,
magnets, bumper stickers,
handouts, media outreach
and other community
initiatives to reach
motorists.
For a second year, AAA
will also partner with
International Speedway
Corporation (ISC) to
remind race fans at
upcoming Sprint Cup
Series events that
School’s Open—Drive
Carefully.
Starting at this
weekend at Watkins Glen
International, AAA’s
brightly colored school
bus icon can be spotted
around the track. The
campaign will continue
during Sprint Cup Series
events this fall at
Richmond International
Raceway, Kansas Speedway,
Talladega Superspeedway
and Martinsville
Speedway.
Safety tips for
motorists, parents and
students online
AAA offers
comprehensive lists of
tips for motorists,
parents and students on
school zone, school bus,
pedestrian and bicycle
safety.
As North America’s
largest motoring and
leisure travel
organization, AAA
provides more than 51
million members with
travel, insurance,
financial and
automotive-related
services. Since its
founding in 1902, the
not-for-profit, fully
tax-paying AAA has been a
leader and advocate for
the safety and security
of all travelers. AAA
clubs can be visited on
the Internet at
AAA.
All
materials courtesy of
AAA - the
American Automobile
Association
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