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FRANKFORT, Ky. — With spring approaching, everyone is ready to get outside and have some fun. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are popular for both work and play. ATV drivers can use caution and safe driving techniques to protect themselves and those they love.
ATV and utility vehicle safety will be the focus of the 12th annual Farm Safety Symposium on March 11 at the Prichard Community Center in Elizabethtown. The exhibits open to the public at 4:30 p.m. EST with an ATV safety program at 7 p.m.
“The number of ATV injuries and deaths has skyrocketed in recent years,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “As a consumer protection and service agency, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is dedicated to promoting farm and home safety. Part of that mission is to encourage ATV drivers to have fun but keep it safe.”
A 30-minute slide show on farm accidents and prevention will be part of the ATV safety program. New 2005 model ATVs, utility vehicles and safety equipment will be there to view. “All dealers in that region will be working together for safety that night,” said Dale Dobson, the KDA’s farm safety program coordinator. Door prizes such as helmets, gloves and safety equipment will be given away throughout the evening.
The weekend will include the 42nd Dixie Fire School, where firefighters and rescue workers will come for special training. About 250 people are expected for the Friday’s symposium with 1,000 expected for the entire weekend.
Several sponsors are lending a hand that weekend – the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Fire Commission, the State Fire and Rescue Training Office, the Dixie Firefighters Association, the Lincoln Trail Farm Safety and Health Task Force, Larue County Farm Bureau and 4-H, and Hardin County Farm Bureau and 4-H.
For more information about the symposium or the fire school, call (502) 564-4696 and ask for the Farm and Home Safety Program.
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