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AAA: Start of school is around the corner, drivers pay attention

AAA is warning drivers that there will be school buses, teen drivers, and young walkers all heading for school in addition to the normal traffic and congestion.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The first day of school is right around the corner for many students in Virginia, usually, it's the Tuesday after Labor Day.

AAA is warning drivers that there will be school buses, teen drivers, and young walkers all heading for school in addition to the normal traffic and congestion. So, be prepared.

AAA offers helpful tips to keep kids safe this school year:

  1. Slow down
  2. Eliminate distractions (like cell phones)
  3. Reverse responsibly.  Every vehicle has blind spots.
  4. Talk to your teen about safe driving
  5. Come to a complete stop
  6. Watch for bicycles

RELATED: Virginia DUI prevention effort underway ahead of Labor Day

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 214 child pedestrians were killed in 2017, making 19 percent of total pedestrian fatalities nationally.

AAA’s School’s Open – Drive Carefully campaign is held during the first weeks of school to remind drivers to be extra vigilant before and after school.

AAA has 14 banners throughout the Hampton Roads area to remind drivers to be extra vigilant on the road. By increasing awareness especially near school zones, we can reduce the number of school-related pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

“In 2018, Virginia saw more than 509 child pedestrians’ injuries and nine fatalities in children age 15 and under, which is significantly more than the year before,” states Georjeane Blumling, Vice President of Public Affairs for AAA Tidewater Virginia. “AAA’s School’s Open – Drive Carefully awareness campaign was designed in 1946 to curb a trend of unsafe driving behavior in school zones and neighborhoods that can result in children’s injury and death.”

RELATED: Older drivers distracted 8 seconds longer by in-car tech, AAA finds

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