AAA Offers Free Vehicle Inspections to Local Students

Students at Zanesville High School learned a lesson in vehicle maintenance Wednesday.

AAA technicians inspected their vehicles for free, to ensure they are safe and ready to combat the winter months ahead. Public Relations Manager for AAA-Ohio, Kimberly Schwind, said they’ve been doing this for a number of years, and last year found that nearly 95 percent of inspected vehicles had at least one fault.

“We look at things like the tires, the battery, the belts, the hoses, the fluid levels, and we just are really trying to make sure that they are driving safe cars, and that they’re ready for winter, because we don’t want these kids to break down and be stranded,” Schwind said.

Members of the Muskingum County Safe Communities Coalition also came out to promote safe teen driving practices. In a recent study, AAA found that distraction is a factor in about 60 percent of all teen crashes, with cellphones making the top of the list.

“As the kids sign in, they have a chance to sign a pledge to not text and drive, we partnered with a local singer and songwriter and we have his song playing, and we’re also giving kids the lyrics and instructions on how to download the song, it’s all about texting while driving, and saving a life by putting the phone down,” Schwind said.

Following the inspections, the techs gave the students a sheet with a list of detected problems to take home to their parents.