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TRAFFIC SAFETY CARAVAN SET FOR EFFINGHAM COUNTY
A caravan will be rolling in to Effingham County August 25-27. But don’t look for loaded wagons pulled by horses in the streets. This is the 2004 Traffic Safety Caravan, an information blitz designed to make Effingham Countians aware of life-saving issues.
Caravan is a cooperative effort from partners in local law enforcement, elected officials, schools, the chamber of commerce, and other community leaders working together with the Governor’s Office of Highways Safety (GOHS) and the University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute (GTIPI).
Effingham County schools welcome the event. “This isn’t reading or writing, but there are few things as important as keeping our kids safe,” says Dr. Michael Moore, Effingham County School Superintendent. “With more than 15 percent of Effingham’s population under age nine, and more than 16 percent between ages 10-19, parents and their children will greatly benefit from the information Caravan will bring.”
Seat check events will help parents ensure their child safety seats are installed correctly along with receiving up to date information about Georgia’s new booster seat law that now requires kids under six years of age to be in a child safety seat suited to their height and weight. Child Safety Seat Checks will be held: Wednesday the 25th at Health Dept in Springfield from 10 a.m. until Noon, Thursday the 26th at Rincon Plaza beginning at 6:00 p.m., and Friday the 27th at Guyton Fire Department beginning at 3:30 p.m..
Parents of teens will also welcome Caravan with GTIPI’s teen driving program, “Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E.” (Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error). A P.R.I.D.E. class will be held Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Rincon. Interested parents can call 912-652-7992 to sign up.
GTIPI’s Rollover Simulator will be coming to schools for crash force education events as well as drug and alcohol resistance programs. Seatbelt safety presentations will be made to businesses and civic groups. For more information about programs from GTIPI that Effingham will see visit www.ridesafegeorgia.org
Caravan will highlight it’s life-saving mission with a “Safety Fair” in Rincon on Thursday evening, August 26th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Rincon South Shopping Center parking lot. Law Enforcement officials, Fire, Rescue, EMS, the GBI Bomb Disposal Team, LifeStar helicopter, the Fire Safety House, the “No Zone” truck, “Fatal Vision” go-carts and more will be conducting safety presentations to the public. The event will begin with a press conference with GOHS, GTIPI and law enforcement officials from the area. Admission is free.
Caravan will have not only an educational side but an enforcement component as well. Law enforcement agencies across Effingham will work with GOHS and GTIPI to reinforce the education message.
“We’ve had almost 400 crash reports and 1400 citations since January”, says Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie. “We support Caravan 110 percent. If it saves one life, we’ve done a tremendous amount of work.”
Members of the South Eastern Traffic Enforcement Network will assist with city and county law enforcement activities. There will be at least three road checks held during Caravan. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety will kick off a Click-It-Or-Ticket campaign with “Hands Across the Border” in the Effingham area the week following Caravan.
For more information about the Caravan visit contact Andrew Turnage at UGA’s GTIPI office (1-800-342-9819) www.ridesafegeorgia.org, the Sheriff’s office (754-3449) www.effinghamsheriff.org or Alex Cabral at GOHS (1-888-420-0767) www.georgiahighwaysafety.org
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