(Radio Iowa) – Iowa motorists will need to be especially careful this afternoon as tens of thousands of youngsters will be making their way home from their first day of school. Brian Ortner, at AAA-Iowa, says being safe is as easy as ABC:

“You’ve got to, A), Avoid the distractions. Stay focused on the road, don’t text, don’t eat, don’t multitask while you’re driving, especially in the school drop-off lines,” Ortner says, “B), Break for safety, slow down, stay alert, especially in those school zones, and be ready to stop in a moment’s notice. And C), Check for pedestrians and bicyclists because not everybody’s getting dropped off at school. They may be riding the bus so there’ll be walkers, there’ll be riders.”

He says the young pedestrians have as much responsibility as motorists to be safety-minded. “For walkers, just like if you’re driving, stay alert, be aware of your surroundings,” Ortner says. “I know you want to have that motivation of the music playing in your headphones or listening to that podcast as you’re walking, but when you get near those school zones, take the headphones out, look up at traffic, not down. Use sidewalks where they’re available. If not, walk against the direction of traffic so you can see those oncoming vehicles.”

Nationwide, Ortner says nearly one out of every five children who are killed in traffic crashes are pedestrians. “For bicyclists and scooters, especially with the increase in e-bikes along with regular bikes, always wear that helmet. It’s such an important safety device and such a simple thing to do,” Ortner says. “Ride with traffic, don’t wear the headphones, and cross streets at intersections, not from between parked cars. It’s going to be safer for you and the drivers.”

According to a recent AAA survey, more than half of Iowans regularly drive through school zones or past school bus stops during their daily routes.