AAA Ohio educates young drivers on vehicle safety

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- AAA Ohio teamed up with Maysville High School to inspect student vehicles and educate young drivers on distracted driving.

Student drivers at Maysville High were able to sign up to have their vehicles inspected by AAA technicians. The technicians checked the vehicle’s seat belts, tires, lights, fluid levels, hoses, and batteries. The students were able to see if their vehicles passed safety standards or if they needed some work. Director of Safety at Maysville Schools, Ric Roush, says the program is a way for students and parents to communicate about maintaining a safe vehicle.

“What they do though is, when they take the student to their car they fill out a form also that lists the things that are okay with their car and then also things that may need to be repaired. And then that student takes that form back home to their parents.”

Kellie O’Riordin, the AAA Ohio Auto Clubs Traffic Safety Program Manager says they also took this as an opportunity to educate students on the dangers of distracted driving. She says they start off by asking the teens to share the distractions they face when driving and then give them suggestions on how to eliminate said distractions. AAA Ohio offers additional programs to help teens be better drivers.

“So we still offer a teen driving and distracted driving program to each school as well,” says O’Riordin. “We can bring a distracted driving simulator, we have an assembly presentation, and we work with local law enforcement and first responders to have station set up.”

The teens also had an opportunity to take a pledge to not text and drive — which is one of the leading causes of teen driving crashes. Once the inspection was completed the students were able to enjoy a complimentary lunch before returning to classes.