14 October 2013
School’s back ... AA urges extra care on the roads
Don’t make your kids cross the road alone when you pick them up from school. That’s the advice the AA would like all
parents of young children to follow as the last school term of the year begins today.
“Young children can run out onto the road without looking and the consequences of a driver missing seeing them can be
horrific.
“One of the best things parents can do to help young children stay safe is meet them at the school gate and cross the
road with them. Or make sure they only use school crossings.
“Research has shown the best thing that can be done to reduce accidents around schools is to eliminate the need for
children to cross the road.”
Last year 5 school-aged children were killed and 72 seriously injured on our roads when they were walking or cycling.
After 3pm on weekdays is the highest risk time.
The AA is urging motorists to be extra watchful for children travelling to and from school and to be prepared for more
traffic to be back on the roads. Many schools now have electronic signs showing reduced speed limits at times of the day
when children will be present and drivers need to look out for and obey these.
Drivers also need to slow down around school buses when they are picking up or dropping off passengers. The legal speed
limit for vehicles travelling on either side of the road past a school bus is 20kph.
The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the
interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges
and GST.
ENDS