Independence Day is only a few days away. Soon, kids of all ages will be flocking to stands to buy firecrackers, sparklers and other items. Feting the fourth with fireworks is as American as apple pie, backyard barbecues and parades on Main Street. But, as much fun as it may be, they can also be dangerous.
When the Internet swept the landscape twenty years ago, few imagined the chatting, Facebook, and other instantaneous social media that has resulted in breathtaking changes in communication structure. These changes have occurred faster than any manmade changes in the history of humankind.
The Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office reports that of the hundreds of crash related deaths that have occurred in Kansas, almost 70 percent of them were not wearing a seat belt. According to a 2011 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,384 lives could be saved if seat belts had been worn. As of 2013, Kansas has an 81 percent seat belt usage rate.
If you see local youths being hauled around in police cars or in the back of ambulances today, it is not because they are in trouble with the law or injured in an accident. Approximately 80 seventh and eighth graders are participating in the annual City Youth Academy sponsored by the City of Great Bend.