100 Years Young & Generations Yet to Come: AAA’s School Safety Patrol Program Celebrates Centennial

Posted on March 4, 2021

Click here for video: School Safety Patrol Alumni Karen Guilbeault Speaks About Leadership & Public Service

 

AAA is proud to celebrate its School Safety Patrol program’s centennial anniversary. For 100 years, Patrollers around the world have provided school-aged children an extra sense of safety and security when going to and from school. The program and its more than 440 Lifesaving Award recipients have contributed to the steady decline of U.S. student pedestrian (ages 5–14) deaths—a 24% decrease since 2010.

“AAA’s School Safety Patrol program is the world’s largest school-based safety program. We could not be prouder of the thousands of young men and women annually who dedicate their time before and after school each day to ensure the safety of their classmates,” said AAA Northeast Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs Lloyd Albert. “This community program teaches safety and leadership skills to ensure our youngest generations are making smart decisions.”

Created to make schoolchildren safer while walking to school, the program has grown-up and matured with the times while remaining steadfast to its mission to provide a safer environment and leadership opportunities for millions of schoolchildren. Started as a boys-only initiative when horses and buggies were still a transportation mode, the program has evolved to include girls. The training that Patrollers receive instills safety sense beyond street crossings, including bus and car drop-offs, monitoring hallway congestion, and teaching Patrollers invaluable leadership skills. The famous Patroller belt has seen change, too, going from white to neon orange to today’s fluorescent green called ‘Lectric Lime.

“Patrollers direct children, not traffic. Their focus is on helping students be safe where traffic is concerned,” said AAA Northeast Senior Manager of Public Affairs Diana Gugliotta. “Their actions save lives. Patrollers serve as role models in schools across the country.”

Notable Patrollers include Presidents Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, astronauts, governors, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, Olympic medalists, and authors, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney. Many Patrollers now serve as educators, executives, and community leaders. Some, like Karen Guilbeault, enter law enforcement. Guilbeault rose to become the first female captain in the Cranston, R.I., police department and their first to graduate from the FBI’s National Academy in Virginia.

“Being a patroller helped me get involved in community service and gave me a sense of belonging and instilled self-confidence,” said Guilbeault. “It opened so many doors for me and formed my interest in going into law enforcement.”

The 2020–21 school year, different as it may be, boasts 679,000 Patrollers in 35,000 schools in the United States. The legacy doesn’t stop here, however. Over the last 100 years, interest in and excitement for the program have spread around the world. The AAA model has been adopted in at least 30 other countries, including England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Since 1920, AAA provides various equipment and education materials to Patrollers, including reflective belts, patrol badges and training resources. To learn how to bring the AAA School Safety Patrol to your school, visit www.AAA.com/safetypatrol.

 

 

Rhode Island
<< Back to Press Releases



Navigation

  • View All Press Releases
  • Archived Press Releases

By Date

  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019

By State

  • All States
  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Rhode Island

By Topic

  • AAA Foundation (3)
  • AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (3)
  • AAA Travel (1)
  • adas (2)
  • Agent of Honor (1)
  • automated vehicle (1)
  • automotive (45)
  • car doctor (3)
  • car maintenance (2)
  • car seats (1)
  • car tips (8)
  • child passenger safety (1)
  • child restraints (1)
  • Christmas (4)
  • cold weather (3)
  • connecticut (35)
  • CPS (1)
  • CPS week (1)
  • crashes (3)
  • daylight saving time (1)
  • deer (2)
  • deer collisions (2)
  • destination (1)
  • destination wedding (1)
  • diamond (5)
  • diamond hotels (1)
  • diamond program (5)
  • diamond rating (5)
  • diamond restaurants (1)
  • distracted (3)
  • distracted driving (4)
  • distracted driving law (1)
  • driving tips (6)
  • drowsy driving (1)
  • five diamond (5)
  • four diamond (5)
  • gas prices (100)
  • hands-free (1)
  • high tech (2)
  • holiday travel (13)
  • hotel (5)
  • hotels (5)
  • impaired driving (5)
  • law (1)
  • marijuana (3)
  • Massachusetts (51)
  • MassDOT (1)
  • memorial day (1)
  • move over (1)
  • new jersey (8)
  • new york (1)
  • preparation (2)
  • restaurant (4)
  • restuarants (5)
  • Rhode Island (46)
  • rv (1)
  • safe driving (2)
  • safety (14)
  • safety tips (12)
  • self driving car (1)
  • slow down move over (1)
  • storm (2)
  • storm prep (1)
  • summer (4)
  • summer driving (1)
  • summer travel (1)
  • technology (5)
  • teen driving (2)
  • thanksgiving (6)
  • travel (71)
  • travel agent (1)
  • Travel Marketplace (1)
  • triptik (3)
  • vacation (1)
  • weather (4)
  • winter (7)
  • winter driving (3)