Mercer County is a predominately rural area, and youth are exposed to various conditions in which students are faced with unsafe conditions around the home or outside. Most students are not prepared for what to do in an emergency or avoid an accident—the safety day taught students to be aware of their surroundings and what to do in an emergency. Teaching proper youth safety on the farm or around the home is essential to their development. Therefore, a safety day was held for sixth-grade youth in Mercer County. 

Over 189 youth participated in ten different booths: electric safety, lawn equipment, fire safety, railroad safety, handwashing, nature danger, ATV safety, and internet safety. The program was co-sponsored by Extension Service, Mercer County Health Department, fire department, Inter-County Energy, and Norfolk Southern Railroad. As the co-contact for the program, I coordinated the school schedules, secured the speakers, and taught ATV safety. I discussed ATV accidents and fatalities statistics during this session, proper gear to wear when riding ATVs, and general driver safety. Many youths have been exposed to ATVs at home or a friend’s house. Over 87% of the students stated they had ridden an ATV, and 79% said they had ridden with a passenger and no safety gear.