School’s in session, drive carefully

IMAGE: AAA

In an ideal world, your techs are driving the speed limit and obeying every traffic law every time they take a vehicle on the road. But the ideal world is not always the real world, so it could be worth bringing up at your next employee meeting some of the points made recently by AAA East Central in a press release. The following highlights are part of AAA 63rd annual “School’s Open, Drive Carefully” campaign:

• Slow down. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph is about two-thirds less likely to be killed as compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 30 mph. Moreover, nearly one in five children 14 and younger who die in traffic crashes are pedestrians.
• Ditch distractions. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles the chances of crashing.
• Stay alert. Don’t rush in and out of driveways. Expect pedestrians on the sidewalk, especially around schools and in neighborhoods. Also, mind your vehicle’s blind spots; check for children on the sidewalk, in the driveway, and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. In addition, near high school parking lots, consider the automatic increase of teen drivers. As driving rookies, they may be more likely to suddenly pull out in front of you, for example.
• Brake for buses. It may be tempting to drive around a stopped school bus, but not only is it dangerous – it’s against the law.
• Watch for bikes. Children on bicycles are often unpredictable, so expect the unexpected. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and any bicyclist.
• Plan ahead. Leave early for destinations and build in extra time for congestion. If possible, modify your routes to avoid school zones.

Now it’s your turn. Do you offer incentives to your techs with good driving habits? Are there other ways you’re building awareness of driving safety at your company? We want to know: Either sound off below in the comments, or drop us a line at pmpeditor@northcoastmedia.net.

Read more:

• Vehicles drive opportunity
• Use your vehicles to help drive revenue
• Jeep hobby good for business
• Vehicle accidents happen