Buses, Crossings And E-Bikes Headline AAA Guidance For Safe Back-To-School Driving

LONG ISLAND, NY — AAA released new safety guidance this week aimed at motorists who are about to see some pint-sized pedestrians on roadways across the country: Kids, ready to return to school for another year of learning.

According to the auto safety giant, the back-to-school season creates a hectic, unpredictable traffic environment for motorists with and without children. Traffic swells up around schools, pedestrian activity increases, school buses return to roads in droves and some students embrace alternative forms of transportation like e-bikes and e-scooters.

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With that in mind, AAA gave drivers a cheat sheet this week to help stay on top of conditions.

According to AAA, motorists should be paying extra attention to the following:

• Obeying school zone speed limits
• Eliminating distractions behind the wheel, especially cell phones
• Keeping an eye out for crossing guards and pedestrians
• Leaving extra travel time to avoid rushing

For their part, students were advised by AAA to cross in marked crosswalks wherever possible, minimize phone usage when walking near traffic, make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street, use designated bus loading areas and follow their schools' safety rules when riding bikes, e-bikes and scooters.

"School commutes are now more complex than ever," AAA spokeswoman Adrienne Woodland said. "Drivers aren't just watching for students on foot and children getting on or off school buses. They're also sharing the road with e-bike and e-scooter riders. When you combine that with distracted driving and speeding, the consequences can be devastating."

Also on the radar for drivers was school bus safety; AAA said the bus is one of the safest ways for kids to get to school, but was not without its danger zones. In particular, AAA said those moments when kids are getting on to and off of a bus can be dangerous.

Therefore, AAA recommended that drivers stop for school buses whose stop arms are out, remain stopped until kids are out of the street and keep an eye out for any stragglers crossing the street near their school bus.