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," says AA spokesperson Dylan Thomsen.

“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.

For more information contact:

Dylan Thomsen
Senior Communications Adviser
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. (04) 931 9991
M. 021 703 9935
Email: dthomsen@aa.co.nz

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.