WATCH: Mock incident shows Sylvan Lake students how to handle emergencies

A mock collision highlighting the risks of not being safe around traffic was held at Sylvan Lake’s École Mother Teresa School on Monday.

Around 200 students in grades four and five took in the reenactment which depicted a young boy being hit by a truck after walking through a parking lot while distracted.

Cst. Mike Lee, a school resource officer with Sylvan Lake RCMP, says kids must be aware that a vehicle can come out of nowhere.

“A lot of times, the kids are in such a hurry to get to the playground or go meet their friends, they forget to look. They dart out between vehicles instead of using the crosswalks,” he said.

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Ryan Hawley, Chair of the Parkland Regional Safety Committee, said it is vital to educate at a young age.

“The [committee’s] mandate is to promote and educate on safety to the public and to the workforce,” he said. “We always take it seriously when it comes to young kids at the elementary level, because the sooner you can get them thinking about safety, the better they’re set as they grow. It’s almost breeding safety into our culture.”

Jodi Smith, Principal at Mother Teresa added she believes students already know a fair amount about traffic safety, but it never hurts to go over it again and again.

“It gives the students a chance to react in a very safe environment. They knew it was just a mock accident, yet having ambulance drivers look after one of their fellow students, it really brought it to light that this does happen, and this is what it looks like. It’s a gift to the kids,” she said.

Smith said the mock crash is a reminder not just to kids, but to everybody to be careful around school and playground zones.

“Drive slowly, be aware, and don’t be distracted. They’re kids, and they’re going to make mistakes, but it’s our jobs as adults to make sure we’re keeping them safe.”

Organizations involved in hosting Monday’s event include the Alberta Construction Safety Association, HSE Integrated, Stuart Olsen Inc., the RCMP, Central Alberta chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and the Parkland Regional Safety Committee.