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Our 42ND Year • Issue No. 20 • May 15, 2025
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KM High School students get a safe driving seminar By Alan Hodge It’s a sad fact that according to the CDC each year in our nation over 2,000 teens are killed in car crashes, making that the leading cause of teen deaths. Not only that, but another 250,000 are injured the same way. Intent on trying to help Kings Mtn. High students avoid that fate, a group of dedicated professional volunteers, as well as school staffers, held a seminar recently where safe driving prac-
tices were…driven home. Non-school entities participating included representatives from Farm Bureau Insurance, the Cleveland County Sheriffs Office, the NC ABC Commission, and the NC Dept. of Insurance. School staff members that helped organize the event included Ag teacher Nate Blanton, career development coordinator Eric Boyd, and entrepreneur course teacher Sabrina Bridges. About 625 vocational classes’ students in grades
Deputy Lovelace lectures students on the importance of wearing a seat belt.
Farm Bureau representative Josh Bridges helps guide goggle-wearing student John-Michael Crawford through the simulated drunk driving course. Photos by Alan Hodge
Student Jamarius Hill gets set for a crash simulation ride.
9-12 took part. The activities revolved around simulated drunk driving exercises where students wore distorting lens goggles that gave a view similar to what a person might see after they had been chugging beers. After donning the goggles, kids took to the wheel of a golf cart and tried navigating a course Former college and pro basketball player and ABC Commission repreof orange cones. sentative Ty Walker and a group of students who tried the simulated drunk The cones suf- driving basketball and cornhole games. fered mightily. “You definitely lose preci- ramp with a rubber bumper at “The experience gives the kids a chance to sion in your driving,” said John- the bottom. The Convincer simulates a see the dangers of drunk driv- Michael Crawford. “You can’t be 20mph crash into a solid object. doing that.” ing,” said Sabrina Bridges. Another activity the kids got The “driver” climbs aboard, puts Farm Bureau representative Craig Mayes underlined the im- to experience was taking turns on the seat belt, then the operain the “Seat Belt Convincer” tor throws a handle that releases portance of the program. “If we save one life it’s worth machine. It was brought by the the seat which rockets down the Cleveland County Sheriffs Of- ramp into the bumper-stop. all we do,” he said. A group of students who The students were surprised fice and on loan from Char-Meck at how much the goggles af- Police Dept. This device is a car had not seen it in action lined up seat and seat belt combo on a fected their driving. See DRIVING, Page 2
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