Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center Gift Finder |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| NewsFriday, August 17, 2007 10:18 PM CDT |
 Comments (6) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Girl Scouts get lesson in vehicle safety
BLOOMINGTON — Kara Knazze was listening intently along with 29 other Girl Scouts at State Farm’s Vehicle Research Facility when the 16-year-old jumped at a loud pop. The sound came from an intentionally deployed automobile airbag. Its force shattered part of the front window of the demonstration car, a Mercedes-Benz. It was part of an event meant to broaden the perspective of the teenagers, who belong to a variety of Chicago troops, about the corporate world and the insurance industry in particular. “This is an opportunity for girls to be exposed to something different and new,” said Gloria Shaffer, a program manager of the Girl Scouts of Chicago. Scout leaders considered State Farm Insurance Cos. headquarters the premier place for training, Shaffer said. “We wanted to expose them to the corporate environment, and the best way to show them that was to bring them here,” added Lisa Cooper, community relations specialist for State Farm. Knazze took home some lasting impressions, including the determination to drive so safely that her airbags never deploy. The high school senior has a lot to live for: She makes good grades and dreams of being a lawyer. “I’d like to be a children’s advocate,” she said. And while Knazze was impressed by the airbag demonstration, Tanzania Hodges was determined to record it for posterity. “I’m going to show them (photographs she took) to my mom and brother,” Hodges, 15, said. The airbag demonstration will make her more careful while learning to drive. Like Knazze, she has big plans for the future. “I want to be a pediatric cardiologist,” she said. Earl Hyser, superintendent at the Vehicle Research Facility, said teens typically respond positively to demonstrations at the facility. “Some of the girls had very intuitive questions,” he said. A side benefit of the demonstrations is that youths touring the facility learn there’s more to insurance work than sitting behind a desk, he said. Among other things, visitors learn to respect airbags, which must open in the “blink of an eye” to provide collision protection, he said. More than a few ears perked up when Hyser cautioned the girls against putting a foot on the passenger-side dashboard. “The impact of the bag could easily break a foot,” Hyser said. Wendy Laiter, 15, was among those expressing amazement. “It’s a little scary, but it was worth the long drive,” she said. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
|||||||||
|
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
