School’s Open for New Drivers

Each year since 1946, the AAA School’s Open, Drive Carefully campaign has offered traffic tips for keeping children safe as they head to and from school. These vulnerable road users aren’t just on foot, bicycles and school buses – they’re also behind the wheel as newly licensed drivers. Before giving your teen the green light to drive to school, review some of the risks.

• It takes only two seconds of visual distraction to double your chances of a crash. Young children can be unpredictable – on the curb one second and in your path of travel the next. So keep your eyes on the road – not your cellphone.
• A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is two-thirds less likely to be killed than a pedestrian struck at 35 mph, and the death rates continue to climb as speed increases. Obeying the reduced speed limits in school zones saves lives.
• Teen passengers are one of the greatest distractions to teen drivers, resulting in significantly increased crash rates and traffic fatalities, according to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study. New drivers should not chauffeur friends or even siblings to school.

For more information, visit AAA.com/TeenDriving.