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In October 2003, Hamilton County’s Ooltewah High School hosted the Continental Teves’ Safely There tour as part of its Alive at 25 wellness program for freshman students. The high-tech traveling exhibit allowed students to participate in interactive driving games and a 3-D motion simulator theater. The Chattanooga tour stop was a result of MAKUS founder Judy Appleby’s participation in Continental Teves’ national press conference earlier that year when it launched the Safely There tour.
Before entering the tour’s simulator truck, groups of students heard a brief talk from Mrs. Appleby. Each one started the same way, with a testimonial about the death of her son, Michael, and encouragement to the teens to be role models by buckling up every time they’re in a vehicle.
In the tour truck, three interactive stations allowed the students to experience driving with and without safety features like anti-lock brakes and rollover protection. Then the students experienced the next generation of safety technology in the exhibit’s mini-movie theater, featuring a hydraulic motion simulator that rocked the seats in conjunction with the on-screen driving images. The teens reacted with shrieks to the Disney-like ride, but left the theater talking soberly about the experience.
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