Driver Safety Urged As OKC Students Begin School This Week

Area drivers are being urged to stay alert for children walking or biking to school as Oklahoma's largest district begins classes this week.

AAA Oklahoma is cautioning motorists to watch out for pedestrians as about 46,000 students in the Oklahoma City district return to school on Monday. It's the first district in central Oklahoma to return to class.

AAA spokesman Chuck Mai says the afternoon hours are particularly dangerous for walking children, with nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities happening between 3-7 p.m. over the past decade nationally.

Mai says drivers should stay alert in school zones, monitor blind spots while backing up and eliminate potential distractions, such as using cellphones, among other measures.