School's Open - Drive Carefully, AAA Washington Urges

    BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 30 In just a few days, sidewalks,
school bus stops and roads once again will be filled with children walking and
biking to school.  With this comes the added responsibility of drivers to pay
more attention to their surroundings.

    "Because most school-aged pedestrian fatalities occur between 3 p.m. and
4 p.m., we are urging people, especially parents who are dropping off and
picking up their children at school, to pay extra attention when driving in
school zones to avoid a serious incident," said Janet Ray, Managing Director
of Corporate Communications at AAA Washington.

    "Youngsters are particularly vulnerable to being struck by a vehicle
because their actions are impulsive and they are harder to see," said Ray.
"Driving always demands our full attention, especially in school zones, so
avoid distracting activities such as talking on a cell phone or eating."

     AAA Washington offers these tips for drivers:
     -- Get in the habit now of recognizing school zones on your route
     -- Look for bicycles, children playing, or AAA School Safety Patrol
        members, which indicate children nearby
     -- Scan between parked vehicles and other danger zones for hard to see
        children
     -- Drive with headlights on at all times so children and other drivers
        can see you
     -- Be prepared to take evasive action immediately
     -- Avoid distractions while driving, especially during the hours before
        and after school -- using cell phones, eating, changing the radio
        station, etc.

                                  Fact Sheet

     -- A total of 573 pedestrians ages 5 through 18 were killed in motor
        vehicle collisions in 1998, and another 23,000 were injured.
     -- One hundred and twenty five of these fatalities were during "normal
        school transportation hours."
     -- Forty-one percent of the school-age pedestrian fatalities occurred
        between 3 and 4 p.m.
     -- In 1998, 264 bicyclists ages 5 through 18 were killed in motor vehicle
        crashes.
     -- Of all school-aged children killed in traffic crashes during "normal
        school transportation hours" for the 1997-1998 school year, 44 were
        riding a bicycle.
     -- Approximately 500,000 students serve on their local AAA School Safety
        Patrol each year.  More than 50,000 schools have safety patrols,
        representing nearly 76 percent of the communities in the
        United States.

    "normal school transportation hours":  Monday through Friday; 6:00 a.m. to
8:59 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. through 4:59 p.m.; September 1 through June 15 each
school year.