DEARBORN, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — As millions of students and teachers return to school, the roads have gotten far more crowded.
AAA citing that this time of year is particularly dangerous due to the combination of young inexperienced drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists who will all share the road in the early morning and afternoon hours.
A new survey from AAA reveals that many drivers admit to risky behaviors like speeding and using their handheld mobile phone while driving through a school zone.
According to a new survey of Michigan drivers:
- 37% admitted to speeding in an active school zone.
- 27% admitted to using their hand-held cell phone while driving in active school zones.
Top Safety Tips for Drivers
AAA – The Auto Club Group, through its School’s Open Drive Carefully campaign reminds motorists to:
- Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
- Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third 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.
- Eliminate distractions. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing.
- Share the road with bicyclists. Children on bicycles are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and a bicyclist.
- Talk to your teen. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for teens in the United States, and nearly one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occurs during the after-school hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at TeenDriving.AAA.com.
