'School's Open - Drive Carefully'

A typically painted "short bus".

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and AAA are gearing up for another "School's Open - Drive Carefully program to help safeguard young children as they return to school this September.

For the 61st consecutive year, elected officials and other public authorities are joining with AAAin this important publicawareness campaign. Recognized for saving lives and preventing injuries, the "School's Open-Drive Carefully" campaign alerts motorists to be extra careful as students return to school. "This program has played a vital role in protecting our children, ensuring that they arrive safely at school each day and have the opportunity to receive a high-quality education," Bloomberg said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to drive responsibly. Nothing is more important than keeping our children and our community safe."

Car crashes continue as one of the leading causes of death and injury for schoolage children. The "School's Open-Drive Carefully" campaign is conducted nationally to help reduce this tragic toll.

AAA New York, the local AAA affiliate, will distribute some 5,000 posters, emblazoned with the "School's Open" legend, to police and other public authorities for use at busy intersections and school crossings. The club is also distributing nearly 19,000 "Schools Open" bumper stickers for display on trucks, buses, official vehicles, school buses and passenger cars.

"Studies show that more than one-third of motorists in school zones or residential areas just 'roll through' intersections with a stop sign," Mark Kulewicz, director of Traffic Safety for AAA New York, said. "Drivers should slow down in these areas and come to a complete stop at all intersections."

AAA's "School's Open-Drive Carefully" campaign is conducted every fall to remind drivers to watch out for school children as they head back to school. The nationwide campaign is designed to reduce the number of traffic crashes involving school-age pedestrians and school bus riders. AAA clubs distribute nearly two million pieces of material annually, including posters, banners, bumper stickers and literature, carrying one simple message: be extra careful behind the wheel as schools reopen after summer vacations.

P.F. Drury, a former safety director for the Automobile Club of Missouri, initiated the "Schools Open-Drive Carefully" campaign in the St. Louis, Missouri area in 1933. The campaign spread to other AAA clubs throughout the United States. AAA New York State began its program in 1945.

Schools, police, government agencies, corporations and individual AAA members participate in the program. Governor George Pataki, as well as Bloomberg and other high-ranking officials, issue proclamations supporting the campaign.

Posters are displayed inside and outside schools throughout the region. They are also displayed outdoors along school routes, and indoors in police precincts, store windows, firehouses and libraries. Bumper stickers are displayed on police cars, school buses, sanitation trucks, taxis, commercial vehicles and private vehicles.

Other organizations also pitch in. The state Department of Transportation displays the "School's Open-Drive Carefully" slogan on its variable message signs along major highways such as the Long Island Expressway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority does the same at its toll facilities for bridges and tunnels. Colorful banners and posters are on display at all Motor Vehicle offices statewide. Both the Port Authority and the New York State Thruway Authority display posters at their toll booths.

AAA New York will distribute some 5,000 posters and 18,000 bumper stickers in 170 communities, including New York City. Statewide, nearly 6,000 posters and 27,000 bumper stickers will be distributed by AAA clubs.

Again this year, as part of the "School's Open" campaign, AAANew York is offering a tip sheet for parents to review with their children for choosing the safest route to school, along with important safety rules. Available in Spanish and English, at AAA.com/safety, it advises parents to show their children which route to take, and why.

To keep school children safe, AAA New York offers the following tips for drivers:

Look for clues such as AAA School Safety Patrol members, crossing guards, bicycles and playgrounds, which indicate that children could dart into the road.

Scan between parked cars and other objects for signs that children could be in the area.

Practice extra caution in adverse weather conditions.

Always stop for school buses that are loading or unloading students.

The first school bus was horse-drawn, introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in Stoke Newington, London, and was designed to carry 25 children. Since then, school buses of many types have become widespread, and motorized, and are used in all parts of the world.

Some countries have specially built, painted and equipped school buses. In Canada and the United States they are required to comply with different safety standards from conventional passenger vans and buses. They are commonly painted an orange-yellow color (officially known as "National School Bus Glossy Yellow") for purposes of visibility and safety and equipped with specialized traffic warning devices. Most used in recent years have been diesel-powered. Full-size school buses can seat 59 to 90 passengers, but in many districts smaller vehicles are used as well. Such smaller vehicles are commonly known as "short buses", and are often associated with private schools and programs for developmentally handicapped students.

State officials endorsing the campaign this year include Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Nancy A. Naples, Superintendent of the New York State Police Wayne E. Bennett, and New York State Commissioner of Education Richard P. Mills.

AAA New York provides automotive, travel and financial services to more than 1.4 million members in New York City and in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Herkimer and parts of Lewis, Madison and Oneida Counties.