AAA Hoosier Motor Club Shares Back-to-School Driving Safety Tips

Indianapolis, IN – July 18, 2017 – Back-to-school traffic–with carpools, buses, and students on bicycle and foot–can complicate driving situations for motorists and with children in some districts starting a new school year as early as next week, AAA wants to assure that everyone is thinking about safety.

On average, three children were killed and almost 500 were injured every day in traffic crashes in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The organization also reported that 21 percent of children ages 14 and younger killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

“As you might expect, more school-age pedestrians were killed during school drop-off and pickup times than during any other time of day,” said Greg Seiter, public affairs manager for AAA Hoosier Motor Club. “We all need to be particularly attentive at those times.”

Car Safety

• Be on high alert when entering a school zone, even on weekends and evenings. Slow down – whether you see children or not – and always obey speed limits, traffic signs and crossing guards.
• Avoid multitasking and distracted driving; never text and drive.
• Put children under the age of 13 in the backseat.
• Make sure infant and child car seats are properly installed. Car seats reduce the risk of death by 28 percent in the event of a crash. Visit safeseats4kids.aaa.com for more safety facts, car seat guides, inspection information, car seat recalls and more.
• Double check for children in blind spots and when driving in reverse. Teach your children never to play in, under or around vehicles.
• Be on alert for children getting on and off school buses and crossing the street outside of marked crosswalks. Maintain a safe distance behind buses and expect frequent stops.
• When carpooling, remind passengers that wearing seatbelts not only save lives, but is the law.