As summer comes to an end and the classroom roll call begins, 50 million childreacross the U.S. will head back to school. With 13 percent of those school childretypically walking or biking to school, AAA warns drivers to be especially vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours. The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous for walking children—over the last decade, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred betwee3 and 7 p.m. If you are a pedestrian who has been involved in an accident then you should check out a law firm like Smith Jones Solicitors to give you an idea of what you should do next.
“Motorists can do two simple things to help protect children. First, slow down. The difference betwee25 mph and 35 mph casave a life,” said Stephanie Milani, Tennessee Public Affairs Director, AAA–The Auto Club Group. “Second, stay alert. Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chance of crashing.”
AAA offers six ways to keep kids safe this school year:
- Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
- Eliminate distractions. Childreoftecross the road unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly between two parked cars. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing.
- Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for childreon the sidewalk, driveway and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your childreto never play in, under or around vehicles—evethose that are parked.
- Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and more thaone-quarter of fatal crashes involving teedrivers occur during the afterschool hours of 3 to 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at TeenDriving.AAA.com.
- Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more thaone-third of drivers roll through stop signs ischool zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for childreon sidewalks and icrosswalks before proceeding.
- Watch for bicycles. Childreobikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance betweeyour vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that they wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet on every ride.
