AAA Launches ‘School’s Open, Drive Carefully’ Campaign at Georgia Middle School

AAA held its annual 'School's Open, Drive Carefully' safety campaign Wednesday at Harlem Middle School in Harlem, Georgia. The event drew representatives from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, AAA- The Auto Club Group, Georgia DPS Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, and the Columbia County School District.

The meeting at 424 Hawes Branch Parkway kicked off at 10 a.m. Speakers shared safety tips with drivers. They explained when cars must stop for school buses. Officials discussed annual inspections too.

For almost eighty years, AAA has pushed to keep kids safe around school buses and crossings through tours held across the state before classes begin. Parents and students can grab back-to-school information at the event.

Georgia school bus drivers haul more than one million students 770,000 miles to and from school each day. Those numbers reveal just how big student transportation has grown statewide.

Crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed riding a school bus is the safest way for a child to get to and from school. The most dangerous part? When students board in the morning and when they get dropped off in the afternoon.

The campaign arrives as school districts gear up for the new academic year. Georgia schools will soon welcome millions of students back to classrooms.

Organizers aimed messaging at both drivers and parents, focusing on student safety. Motorists need to understand the rules about stopping for buses with flashing lights and stop signs extended.

The campaign has been a fixture in Georgia for decades. This year marks another chapter in the effort to cut down accidents involving students and buses.