4 minute read
Heading Back to School: Drive Carefully Insights from AAA
By Our Town Gwinnett Staff
As 1.6 million children across Georgia begin heading back to school, AAA urges motorists to slow down and stay alert in neighborhoods and school zones. They also must be especially vigilant for pedestrians during before and after school hours. Children are particularly vulnerable during the afternoon hours following their school day. Over the last decade, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 6 p.m.
“We are aware of the risk to children in and around school zones, which is why we developed the AAA’s School’s Open – Drive Carefully awareness campaign to help curb unsafe driving behavior near schools,” said Garrett Townsend, Georgia Public Affairs Director, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “If Georgia motorists slow down and stay alert, they can save lives.”
The AAA School’s Open Drive Carefully awareness campaign was launched in 1946 in an effort to prevent school-related child pedestrian traffic crashes, helping kids live fulfilling, injury-free lives.
AAA offers seven ways to keep kids safe this school year: 1. Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 25 m.p.h. is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 m.p.h. faster. A difference between 25 m.p.h. and 35 m.p.h. can save a life. 2. Eliminate distractions. Children often cross 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. 3. Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, driveway, and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under, or around vehicles – even those that are parked. 4. Talk to your teen. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for teens in the United States, and more than one-quarter of fatal crashes involving teen drivers occur during the after-school hours of 3 to 7 p.m. 5. Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than onethird of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding. 6. Watch for bicycles. Children on bicycles are often inexperienced, unsteady, and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that he or she wears a properly fitted bicycle helmet on every ride. 7. Look for AAA School Safety Patrollers. Nationwide, more than 679,000 AAA School Safety Patrollers stand guard at over 35,000 schools. When you see one, a school zone is likely nearby.
“If parents and other driver’s follow these simple rules when driving in and around school zones, countless children can avoid injury and death,” says Townsend. “It’s up to us to help all drivers become more aware of the risks of driving around our schools.”
More information at https://member.acg.aaa.com/mi/driving-safety/ aaa-school-safety-patrol.html
Ryan’s Remarks Continued from page 7
We all need to become better communicators (the key to all parts of life) and thus must have the unconsciously competent (fourth) stage as our goal. With that said, we should never stop learning (growth mindset) something new each day. In this stage, individuals have mastered the proper balance of highly efficient and effective communications.
What level of communications competence are you in? How far are you from reaching the final stage? Are you an effective and efficient communicator (top right/ green quadrant of the “E” model) who communicates (through all mediums) the best way? If not, what quadrant are you in? Do you want to grow? If you do, then you are reading the right column. I am here to help you if I can.
There is no better time than right now to strengthen your skills to become a better communicator. This growth will make you more successful in every aspect of your life. And it goes without saying (as we are in the second half of 2022) that we need such skilled communicators in our community now more than ever.
Thank you for reading, and as always, thank you for continuing with us on the journey of my town, your town, OUR TOWN!
Customer Service Continued from page 10
of that business as well. So, IF you consider yourself a smart consumer, and you want to share your wallet and dollars wisely, REWARD those who reward and serve you well. You will be very glad you did.
Bill Crane owns the full-service communications firm, CSI Crane. More information at www.CSICrane.com
Perimeter Cares pays off unpaid lunch debt for elementary school students. We have paid off over 60 schools and plan to take care of all elementary schools in the state of Georgia.
perimetercares.org
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