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WELCOME
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The AAA Exchange was designed to foster communication between AAA and the 51 million members it represents. It is an extension of AAA's long history of public service and provides a look into important safety, consumer, automotive and travel issues. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
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 Don't Let Distractions Dog You
For many people, the best traveling companions are the four-legged variety - also known as dogs. But if not done properly, driving with animals in the vehicle can be dangerous. According to a recent survey conducted by AAA and pet-product manufacturer Kurgo, one in three dog-owning drivers admitted to being distracted by their furry friend, and nearly 60 percent confessed to engaging in at least one distracting behavior, such as petting the dog. To avoid dog-related distractions and keep yourself and your pet as safe as possible, AAA recommends that drivers use an animal restraint system, even when traveling close to home. Such devices limit a pet's ability to distract a driver, restrict the animal's movement and mitigate forces involved in a crash.
And while on the topic of animals and car travel, AAA recently named its top vehicle picks for dog owners. Selections were based on crash-test ratings, safety features, fuel economy, cargo area, ease of access for animals and convenience in cleaning, among other factors.
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As 56 million students across the United States get ready to start the 2010-2011 school year, AAA reminds motorists to be aware of increased child pedestrian activity and traffic congestion in and around school zones. With more than half those students in elementary school, typically ages 14 and younger, drivers should be especially cautious in school zones during morning and afternoon hours.
AAA's Drive Safely - School's Open campaign was launched in 1946 to help reduce school-related pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Jennifer Huebner, manager of AAA Traffic Safety Programs, offers motorists the following advice to help keep children safe as they navigate their way through school zones:
- Follow the speed limit. School zone speed limits are purposefully set low. Children are unpredictable and may have difficulty gauging the distance and speed of an approaching car.
- Look for AAA School Safety Patrollers. With more than half a million AAA School Safety Patrollers at 30,000 schools across the country, their presence is a sure sign you're approaching a school zone.
- Come to a complete stop at intersections with stop signs. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones and neighborhoods.
- Always stop for loading and unloading school buses . It may be tempting to drive around stopped school busses, but it's not only dangerous - it's against the law.
- Eliminate driver distraction. AAA research shows that taking your eyes off the road for two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. Putting down your phone makes you a safer driver and sets a good example for young passengers and pedestrians.
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AAA and Seventeen magazine recently conducted a survey showing that nearly nine in 10 teen drivers -- 86 percent -- have driven while distracted, even though 84 percent said they know it's dangerous.
AAA, Seventeen and The Department of Transportation have partnered to launch a National Two-Second Turnoff Day Video Challenge contest to raise awareness among teens about the dangers associated with distracted driving.
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, killing nearly 6,000 of them each year. AAA urges all drivers -- especially teens -- to remain focused behind the wheel and avoid driving while distracted.
- Click here to learn more about the dangers of distracted driving.
- Read about the National Two-Second Turnoff Day Video Challenge contest.
- Submit your anti-distracted driving video here.
Yolanda Cade, managing director of AAA Public Relations, and Seventeen's Editor in Chief Ann Shoket were interviewed by NBC's Matt Lauer on The TODAY Show discussing the survey results and what parents can do to help prevent teen distracted driving.
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In a series of videos, Dr. Bill Van Tassel of AAA Driver Training, and Justin McNaull of AAA Public Affairs, discuss the many varieties of distraction in everyday driving and offer many helpful tips on staying focused and safe behind the wheel. The final video puts three ordinary drivers behind the wheel on a closed course and challenges them to text while driving to illustrate how easy it is for this behavior to cause a crash.
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With 2010 state legislative sessions convened across the country, AAA, as part of a nationwide campaign, is urging lawmakers to consider bans on text messaging by all drivers. As of July 6, 30 states and the District of Columbia had enacted laws addressing this dangerous behavior.
Based on ample research illustrating the severely degrading effect texting has on driving performance, AAA believes the practice presents a clear and persistent danger to everyone on the road.
As part of its Traffic Safety Culture Index released in 2009, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that 21 percent of survey respondents admitted to texting while driving during the last month. Nonetheless, research consistently shows high public support for laws against this behavior, ranging from 80 percent to 97 percent.
To learn more about AAA's efforts to combat texting while driving and other driving distractions, contact your local AAA club.
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