Take a look at what’s happening with the North Carolina Farm Bureau across the state this summer.
Safety First
A tragic accident led to the inaugural Ag Safety Awareness event in Lumberton earlier this year.
Robeson County Farm Bureau’s Safety Committee hosted the event, which took place following the death of a Red Springs High School student on an ATV in 2018.
“We were looking for ways to increase the awareness of those important safety precautions that people [particularly teenagers] should be taking around ATVs, as well as other equipment like lawn tractors and mowers,” says Patrisse Locklear, the safety committee’s chairperson. “We want people to understand that some of these accidents can be avoided with just a few added precautions.”
Students were divided into groups and rotated through extensive 50-minute sessions to see the equipment properly operated with safety precautions taken. Officer Eric Mellott with the State Highway Patrol also set up a “fatal vision” simulator for the teens to experience the dangers of driving under the influence. About one in every three traffic deaths in the United States involve a drunk driver, and Robeson County falls right in line with that statistic.
Approximately 75 students from six high schools across Robeson County attended the event, along with 17 faculty members and four members of the Board of Education.
