Massachusetts Heroes Set Traffic Safety Examples Worth Following

The world may never know what it would take to force Doris Frizzell from her position as a crossing guard at Shaughnessy Elementary School in Lowell.

Despite bouts of inclement weather and dangerous traffic conditions – the school is located in one of the city’s busiest areas – Frizzell has spent the last 12 years safely shepherding students across busy roads. Her commitment to the position runs so deep that she refused to abandon her post during cancer treatment and volunteered to fill vacant summer school crossing posts.

“I don’t want to leave my kids alone to cross by themselves,” she said.

For all her efforts, AAA Northeast recognized Frizzell as a traffic safety hero during an annual AAA Community Traffic Safety Awards luncheon in October. The club bestowed similar honors on a crossing guard in Westford, a highway mechanic for the town of Abington, and the co-chairman of a highway safety committee in Duxbury. The club also honored a motorcycle safety advocate from Amesbury, and nearly three dozen police officers responsible for everything from impaired driving enforcement to car seat installations.

AAA Northeast also recognized communities for the quality of their traffic safety programs. The highest award – gold – went to Amesbury, Andover, Attleboro, Brookline, Chelsea, Concord, Dennis, Douglas, Duxbury, Grafton, Hingham, Hull, Mattapoisett, Reading, Sturbridge and Tewksbury. Silver went to Abington, Acton, Acushnet, Beverly, Blackstone, Harwich, Lowell, Newburyport, Northborough, Norwell, Rochester, Rockland, Wellesley, Westford and Wrentham; while Berlin, Essex, Plympton and West Bolyston received bronze.

Read more about how AAA is involved with community efforts here.