TRBA CONTACT:

Carol Coleman
931-261-1366 (Cell)

Tennessee Road Builders Association's safety mascot, Ollie the Otter, with (from left) Stacy Wimsatt, TRBA; Carol Coleman, TRBA Ladies Auxiliary chairperson; Olivia Isenberg, principal of Millersville Elementary; Judy Bowling, Rogers Group; Tracy Rader, TRBA; and Ollie the Otter.

Jack Anderson Elementary School Principal Carolyn Lassister (left) with TRBA Ladies Auxiliary Chairperson Carol Coleman.

ROGERS GROUP PARTNERS WITH TRBA TO SPONSOR SEATBELT SAFETY CAMPAIGN

Campaign features Ollie the Otter safety mascot

Sumner County —Students at two Sumner County schools recently received a visit from a very special guest. Ollie the Otter, the seatbelt safety mascot for the Tennessee Road Builders Association (TRBA), visited Millersville Elementary in Goodlettsville and Jack Anderson Elementary in Hendersonville to promote the use of booster seats and encourage students to wear their seatbelts.
  Rogers Group, Inc., an aggregate, asphalt and road construction company, is partnering with TRBA to help spread the word about seatbelt safety in Sumner County.
  “We take great pride in serving our community,” said Rick Turner, vice president of Rogers Group Mid-Central Division in Gallatin. “We’re very committed to educating others about road safety, especially children. By sponsoring the seatbelt safety program at Millersville and Jack Anderson, we hope children and their parents will be encouraged to make the right decisions about seatbelt and booster seat use.”      
  The seatbelt safety program is being developed by the Tennessee Transportation Development Foundation, a non-profit group established by TRBA in an effort to promote safety on Tennessee’s roadways. The community service efforts and monetary donations made by Rogers Group, Inc. help support the safety education programs for elementary school children.
  “This is an outstanding program, and our company is honored to be a part of its efforts,” said Turner.  
  Tennessee law requires all children under 4-feet-9-inches to ride in a booster seat. The TRBA safety program will launch a statewide educational campaign this fall to teach children about the law and other safety precautions.  
  “Our goal is to try to educate children through the seatbelt safety mascot Ollie the Otter,” said Carol Coleman, chairperson of the TRBA Ladies Auxiliary seatbelt safety project.
  The safety education programs feature a costumed Ollie the Otter mascot and an orange and white construction-site barrel representing Ollie’s home. The presentation, while stressing the importance of using booster seats and seatbelts, also raises awareness of highway construction areas and worker safety.
  “We bring an orange and white construction-site barrel to the schools so children will know when they see one of these barrels it’s important for drivers to slow down,” said Coleman. “Hopefully, children will encourage their caregivers, or whoever is driving them around, to make better safety decisions.”
  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2005, an average of five children ages 14 and younger were killed and 640 were injured in motor vehicle crashes every single day. The use of booster seats compared to the use of adult seatbelts alone lowers the risk of injury to children in crashes by 59 percent.
  “The safety of our children is the most important thing,” said Coleman. “Through this program, and with the support from the Rogers Group, we’re really hoping to make a difference in Tennessee.”
  Working with the Tennessee Tech University BusinessMedia Center in Cookeville, TRBA will develop educational materials, such as posters, bookmarkers and an interactive Website, to inform Tennessee children and their parents about seatbelt safety. The fully-costumed Ollie the Otter character will visit schools and play an integral role in the educational program.
  To learn more, visit www.trba.org and click on “Ollie Safety Site.”