Highway Patrol safety 'carnival' to be held Sept. 12
By Staff Reports
Published in News on August 30, 2009 12:26 AM
Officials with the North Carolina Highway Patrol are planning a "Community Day," Sept. 12 at the Wal-Mart near Rosewood to emphasize the need for safety on the road.
The carnival-like event will feature not only child-safety seat checks and a DWI golf cart, but also a seat-belt crash test and fire department "smoke house," along with games, prizes and free giveaways.
Parents who do not have the proper restraining seats for their children will find the right seat available at no charge, said Trooper Bennie Grady, who helped organize the event.
The safety fair is being co-sponsored by the Partnership for Children of Wayne County, Safe Kids Wayne County, the Rosewood, Oakland and Goldsboro fire departments and corporate sponsors McDonald's, Chick-Fil-A, Ram Rent All and Wal-Mart.
Grady said the purpose of the day's events is to draw attention for the need for parents to properly install child safety seats but that officials decided it deserved more of a fun atmosphere, especially for parents who might otherwise find themselves waiting in line to have their seats checked.
The businesses involved will donate food and games to keep both the youngsters and adults entertained while law enforcement officers help check the suitability of car seats.
Many children ride in seats that are too big or too small for them, Grady noted, or that are not properly installed. Officers will be on hand to help find the right seat and donated seats will be available for parents who cannot afford them.
The DWI cart and a "seat-belt convincer" will give drivers a chance to experience how difficult it is to drive while impaired and to feel what a difference even a slight impact makes when a driver or passenger is not wearing a seat belt.