Safety First

On March 24, close to 300 students participated in the 5th Annual Golf Cart Rodeo hosted by West Ashley High School. The event was coordinated by Molly West, one of WAHS’s school counselors, the High School Injury Prevention Coalition and MUSC. Ms. West first began working with the HSIPC when she was hired as the At-Risk Counselor at WAHS in 2011.
This event is designed to make students more aware of their decisions and how they affect others. The Golf Cart Rodeo specifically demonstrates what happens when someone drinks and drives or texts and drives and how those decisions have long-term effects on many different people. With Spring Break and Prom Season quickly approaching, it is important that students think about the making good decisions and about the consequences of their actions.
The Golf Cart Rodeo is broken down into five different stations: a golf cart track where students wear goggles that simulate the effects of drinking and driving while trying to navigate through a course made of traffic cones; a golf cart track where students send text messages and try to safely navigate through a course made of traffic cones; a mock field sobriety test where a Charleston police officer talks about what would happen if someone was suspected of driving under the influence, before students try to walk a straight line while wearing goggles that impair their vision; a First Responder ambulance where EMTs explain what happens after they arrive on the scene of an accident and how they prepare the victims for transport; and a fire truck from St. Andrews Fire Department where firemen explain what they do as first responders and what tools they use in emergency situations.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year because it’s such a fun event that presents important information in an exciting way,” said School Counselor Molly West. “I hope that students will use the information we presented to them as they enter Spring Break, Prom Season, and the summer so they will make safe, responsible choices for themselves and encourage their peers to do the same.”