The people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas hosted a Road Safety Day at Newcastle High School on Wednesday, April 5, as a continued commitment to serving communities where they live and work (see related photo feature on page 5 this week).
More than 700 students participated in hands-on simulations to learn about the importance of driver and passenger safety. Students also got behind the wheel of an oilfield services semi-truck to understand blind spots, stopping distance, and emergency procedures. And because oil and natural gas-producing communities are also often farming communities, a local Newcastle farmer, Collin Black, brought a large tractor and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s safety team brought a truck with a livestock trailer to talk to students about how they can be safer around agricultural equipment.
Dr. Genevieve Craig, dean of students at Newcastle Schools who helped to set up the event, said, “The majority of our students are driving age or will soon be at that age. This event provided practical, hands on information and activities that promote and support safe driving.”
“Safety is the top priority of the oil and natural gas industry,” said Mindy Stitt, executive director of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB). “We are committed to educating young drivers about how to share the road safely with large trucks, especially in communities like Newcastle where many in the oil and natural gas industry live and work regularly.”
Newcastle’s own Thru Tubing Solutions cooked lunch for all the students, teachers, and volunteers. The people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas also gave Newcastle Public Schools a $2,000 grant for science, technology, engineering, and math.
“We were thrilled that OERB was able to put together such an informative day for our students,” Dr. Craig said. “Each sponsor was able to provide practical, hands-on information and activities that promote and support safe driving. OERB did a fantastic job of creating informational stations as well as stations that provided smiles and laughter. It was a great day of learning.”
The event included oilfield equipment from Cudd Energy Services, driving simulations and safety training from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, ENDUI, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, ATV Ride Safe Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and Newcastle Fire Department.
Funded by the people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas, the Road Safety Day program aims to bring together community leaders, energy providers, and safety supporters who are committed to positively impacting driver safety across Oklahoma.
