With school beginning to return in less than a month for much of the country, AAA's Kellan Howell reminds drivers to exercise caution and drive safely when traveling through school zones.

As the school year begins, AAA is urging drivers to be extra cautious, especially in school zones and neighborhoods where children are walking, biking, or getting on and off school buses. Motorists are advised to slow down, avoid distractions such as mobile phones, and come to a complete stop at crosswalks and stop signs. 

AAA also highlighted the role of school safety patrollers, who help students cross streets safely but do not direct traffic. Parents of teen drivers are encouraged to discuss safe driving habits, including limiting the number of passengers and minimizing distractions. Drivers should also be vigilant outside of school zones and always stop for school buses with flashing lights.

Safe driving during the beginning of school year

We teased ahead to AAA when we were talking about all the A names that we have on this show, and you are just in time for this next interview. There we go. Back to school, of course, means more students on the move and school zones full of activity. So AAA is urging drivers to slow down and stay alert. Joining us is Kellan Howell from AAA. Thank you so much for being with us. And can you tell us what are the biggest dangers drivers need to watch for as kids head back to school? Well, thanks for having me. Yeah, it's really important, as you said, for drivers to slow down, put the phone away, and just be vigilant as, you know, kids are getting back to school, especially in those early morning hours, you know, as school is getting started. And again, in the afternoon, those hours from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. when kids are leaving school. And it's not just in school zones, you know, kids are also crossing the street on their way home. They're riding their bikes through their neighborhoods, crossing the street when they get off the school bus. So be sure to be on the lookout for those pedestrians. Slow down. Come to a complete stop at crosswalks, stoplights, and stop signs. And make sure that you're stopping for school buses. Commutes can also be impacted by those, you know, school buses in the morning. So be sure to give yourself some extra time when you're leaving so that you're not rushed and stressed when you're trying to get to work or get where you need to go in the morning. Now, what should drivers know about AAA's school safety patrollers and their role near schools? Well, AAA school safety patrol is a program that's been around for over 100 years. And you can recognize those students who are members of the safety patrol by the reflective sashes that they wear. It's important to keep in mind that their job is not to direct traffic. It's actually to help their fellow students safely cross the street to protect them from any potential road hazards. So if you see a school safety patroller, chances are good that you're in a school zone or about to be in a school zone. So first and foremost, slow down. Come to a complete stop at a crosswalk. And then look, you know, double check for pedestrians or any kiddos that might be crossing the street before you hit the gas again. You just unlocked a memory. We call them safeties at our school. I was never a safety, but like if you were a safety, you were so cool, like with the sash. Oh my gosh. Amazing. Totally forgot about that. Thank you. All right. How can teen drivers stay safe during those high risk after school hours? Yeah, definitely. With teen drivers, we want parents to be talking to their teens about the importance of, again, being vigilant when they're behind the wheel, putting the phone away. We know teens, a lot of times, you know, they're there, have very active social lives and they're trying to catch up with their friends after school. But it's really important when they're behind the wheel to put the phone away, put it on, do not disturb, don't even have it in sight. Another thing that parents can talk to their teens about is any boundaries they want to set around how many other passengers teens might have in the car with them. You know, some teen students might want to carpool after school, but we know studies show that their risk of a crash actually increases with each teen passenger that they have in the car. So parents might want to talk with your teens about whether or not you are comfortable having them giving other teens a ride. You mentioned this a little bit, but could you go into just a little bit more depth about people need to know outside of school zones, what these drivers can be doing to make sure kids are staying safe in their neighborhoods, on bikes, when they're walking, any time that you see them. Absolutely. A lot of the same rules that we talked about in school zones apply outside of school zones to slowing down, putting the phone away. But like you said, there are a lot of kids who are commuting to school, like taking the bus or riding their bikes. If you see kids in neighborhoods riding bikes, definitely want to give them at least three feet of space, you know, slow down, don't put too much pressure on them. If you are reversing out of your driveway in a neighborhood where there might be kids, you want to make sure to double check before you start backing up because you never know if there might be a kiddo going behind you on a bike or walking on their way to school. So these are all really important things to keep in mind. And then last of course, but certainly not least is stop when you see school buses with those red flashing lights, you know, a lot of times we're just looking for that retractable stop sign on a school bus and that might not always be a good, you know, thing to look out for. They can break down sometimes. If you see a school bus stop, it's lights flashing, you need to stop too. And you need to watch out for any kids crossing the street. Kelly Howell from AAA helping us stay safer during this upcoming school season. Thanks again for joining us. Thanks for having me.

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