Lyn St. James Offers Back-to-School Tips For Safe Carpooling

9 September 1998
Indy Car Driver and Mom Lyn St. James Offers Back-to-School Tips For Safe Carpooling
     Lyn St. James and Drive Safer America! Make Safe Driving Information
                           Available Free of Charge

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 9 -- While scurrying from store to
store to find the latest in back-to-school gear is often foremost in the minds
of parents this time of year, Indy car driver Lyn St. James has partnered with
Drive Safer America! to ensure that safe driving techniques and practices
remain top-of-mind with parents amid the back-to-school craze.
    "With the start of another school year, parents find themselves spending a
lot more time on the road with kids in the car," says Ms. St. James, a
concerned mother and Indy car racer.  "When carpooling with children you tend
to have a lot of activity in the car which can detract from your ability to
drive safely."
    According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
(NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for children
of every age between 6 and 14 years old.  And as most vehicle crashes occur
within 25 miles of home, simple everyday trips to school and back can be more
treacherous than one may think.
    Ms. St. James offers the following tips to help ensure a safe trip when
carpooling to and from school:

    *  Every passenger must buckle up.  Don't exceed the capacity of your
vehicle.  The number of passengers should not outnumber the amount of
seatbelts available.  Read your owner's manual for specific information on how
to properly adjust your vehicle's seatbelts.

    *  Kids in back!  As a general rule, children less than 12 years of age
should not be permitted to ride in the front passenger seat.  If it is
necessary to place a child in the front seat so that he or she may have a
seatbelt, select the oldest or largest child to sit there.  Moreover, it is a
good idea to move the front passenger seat back away from the dashboard as
children are more susceptible to injury by a deployed airbag.

    *  Remember the younger passengers.  Be sure that young children who come
along for the ride are properly secured in age- and size-appropriate child
safety seats -- and always in the backseat of the car.

    *  Drop children off as close to school as possible.  Eliminate the need
for children to cross the street.  Ensure that all occupants enter and exit
your vehicle on the curbside.

    *  Arrange to pick children up at a safe spot away from congestion.  Park
your vehicle in a place that prevents children from having to walk between
busses or other vehicles to get to your car.

    *  Always leave extra time in your schedule.  This will help prevent
driving too fast when running late.

    *  Make sure that heavy objects are properly secured in the trunk or
storage area of your vehicle.  During a sudden stop, heavy objects in the
passenger compartment could shift and cause serious injury.

    *  Meet regularly with other parents in the carpool.  This allows parents
to standardize guidelines for in-car behavior and to review any potentially
dangerous situations that need to be addressed with the school or other
parents.

    *  Stay focused on your driving task.  If children behave in such away
that makes it difficult to stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings,
pull the vehicle off the road into a safe parking lot and ensure that the
situation is remedied prior to resuming the trip.

    *  Know your vehicle.  Know how your vehicle's limits and how it responds
to a full load of passengers.  Also, learn if your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes.  In busy school areas children may run in front of your vehicle making
it necessary to stop suddenly.  In a vehicle equipped with four-wheel anti-
lock brakes, learn to stomp on the pedal, stay on it firmly and steer where
you want the vehicle to go.

    For more information on vehicle safety technologies and accident avoidance
measures, visit Drive Safer America! on the Internet at
http://www.ittautomotive.com/drivesafer or visit Indy car driver Lyn St. James' site
at http://www.lifetimetv.com/sports/lynstjames.  Consumers can also request a free
Drive Safer America! brochure and ABS instructional video by calling toll free
at 800-694-5200.
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