NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Detective Liliana Sanchez, Police Officer Nicholas Trikedes and Police Officer Mike Young of the New Rochelle Police Department, along with local school children, helped AAA New York to launch its 67th annual “School’s Open – Drive Carefully” campaign at the New Rochelle police headquarters.
Detective Sanchez, Officer Trikedes and Officer Young will be mounting colorful “School’s Open” posters in New Rochelle to warn motorists to be extra careful as thousands of local youngsters return to school.
“The help that we get from our club-area police departments adds to the effectiveness of our ‘School’s Open’ campaign,” said Donna Galasso, assistant director of the club’s Traffic Safety unit. “We appreciate the efforts of Detective Sanchez, Officer Trikedes and Officer Young, which will result in increased safety for all students,” said Galasso.
Ms. Galasso reminds drivers, including bicyclists, to be especially cautious in school areas, keeping their speed at or below posted limits and being prepared to stop, on both sides of the street, for school buses with flashing red lights and stop arms, as required by New York State law.
The Club’s annual “School’s Open – Drive Carefully” campaign is conducted with local government and police agencies. Thousands of posters, bumper stickers and other educational materials are distributed through the program.
AAA New York State’s “School’s Open – Drive Carefully” program began in 1945. Since then, it has helped to prevent injuries and deaths among children of elementary school age.
AAA New York, the local AAA affiliate, provides automotive, travel and financial services to more than 1.6 million members in New York City, and in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Herkimer and parts of Lewis, Madison and Oneida counties.
Every September, youngsters return to the classroom after a summer of sun and fun. This places increased responsibility on all drivers to ensure the safety of schoolchildren. Sixty-seven years ago, AAA recognized the need for increased alertness on the part of drivers during this time of year and launched the first “School’s Open – Drive Carefully” campaign. This program has helped to prevent injuries and deaths among children of elementary school age.
This year, as in the past, AAA will help to raise awareness throughout the state by distributing nearly 4,000 colorful posters reminding motorists to be extra careful, which will be displayed at major intersections, business and shopping districts, and school crossings. The posters will be supplemented by nearly 14,000 of the familiar “School’s Open” bumper stickers on public, private and commercial vehicles. In addition, thousands of AAA-sponsored School Safety Patrol youngsters will be stationed at school crossings to assist police and civilian guards.
Mayors, school officials, business leaders, parent/teacher associations and thousands of individual motorists will participate in this year’s campaign, exercising a strong spirit of civic commitment. Various state officials have endorsed the program including the Governor, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the Commissioner of Education and the Superintendent of State Police.
“School’s Open – Drive Carefully” serves to alert motorists to the always-important duty of driving with an eye toward protecting young lives.
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 vacation.
P. F. Drury, a former safety director for the Automobile Club of Missouri, initiated the “School’s 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 Andrew M. Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael 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’s 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. Posters are on display at all motor vehicle offices statewide, and the Port Authority displays posters at its tollbooths.
AAA New York will distribute 3,800 posters and 13,000 bumper stickers in approximately 170 communities, including New York City. Statewide, nearly 4,000 posters and nearly 14,000 bumper stickers will be distributed by AAA clubs.