MARYSVILLE — The rear windshield of the Chevy SUV begins about four feet from the ground, so while Tyler Harris is standing behind the vehicle, his mother and older sister can only see him from the shoulders upward.
Even while he stands 20 feet back from the car, Harris’ sister can only see him from the waist up in her rearview and side mirrors from where she is seated in the front of the car.
Harris, a Cub Scout, is the one earning his Auto Safety patch at Roy Robinson Chevrolet, but the three safety stations are intended to be as informative to Scouts’ parents as it is the young boys who will wear a reminder of the event on their uniforms.
Cub Scouts and their families earned the patch by rotating through stations about booster seat safety, escaping from the trunk of a vehicle and using OnStar in the event of an emergency.
As six-year-old Jaden Feisley was handed his patch by organizers, he said had learned a lot.
“Cars are not a toy,” he said.
Jaden was supervised by his grandmother Ramona, who said the event had been an eye-opening experience for her.
“I thought I knew a lot about car safety, but I learned a lot,” she said.
The Marysville Fire Department was on hand for the event which was organized in association with Safe Kids Snohomish County.
Safe Kids is part of a worldwide campaign to help prevent childhood accidents that needlessly result in disability and death. According to Frank Graham with Roy Robinson Chevrolet, the local branch of Safe Kids is responsible for making available life jackets at Twin Lakes near Lakewood Crossing. They also teach bike safety, helping provide bike helmets that several Scouts took home that day and teaching pedestrian safety, particularly as Halloween approaches.
While Boy Scout lessons might typically put a parent in mind of learning how to tie knots or safely enjoy nature, scouting will celebrate its 100th year in 2010, and Boy Scouts of America district executive Hilary Black-Ward said scouting has taken on a broader mission.
“Boy Scouts is based on leadership and growing young men and women to make ethical decisions,” she said.