GEICO Helps Girl Scouts Earn Road Safety Patch

There was laughter and leadership, but most importantly there waslearning for D.C. area Girl Scouts during the first-ever GEICO DASHBoardpatch event held recently at GEICO headquarters.

The all-day event, sponsored by the Girl Scout Council of the Nation'sCapital and GEICO, brought together close to 100 Girl Scouts from thegreater Washington D.C. area to learn about vehicle maintenance, how tobe a safe driver and passenger and tips on bicycle safety.

The event was part of a comprehensive road skills, auto care and drivingsafety series, designed to help the girls earn the new GEICO Road SafetyPatch. Once the classes are completed and the Girl Scouts sign an honorcode agreement, they are eligible for the patch which shows they havelearned how to make smart decisions on the road.

"Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among teens age13 -- 19," said Rynthia Rost, GEICO vice president. "GEICO is workinghard to educate teens on road and vehicle safety through our teen safedriving program and by partnering with great organizations like the GirlScouts."

At the inaugural GEICO kick-off, the girls rotated between interactivesessions, learning auto care techniques like how to change a vehicletire, bike safety and the dangers of distracted and drunk driving.Officers from the Montgomery County Police Department were able to givethe girls a first-hand experience of how alcohol affects driving abilitythrough its Gator-AID demonstration. The girls wore "Fatal VisionGoggles" while operating a specially designed tractor to simulate thedangers of drinking and driving. WJLA news reporter Cynne Simpson alsopresented WJLA'sDrive to Stay Alive Teen DrivingAssembly seminar.

"The real-life experiences that the girls had during these sessions willhopefully make them think twice about the decisions they make beforegetting behind the wheel," said Lidia Soto-Harmon, Girl Scout deputyexecutive director.

The event was the first of its kind for the Council and the Girl Scouts.Upcoming DASHBoard Road Safety events include an Auto Care Day inFredericksburg, Va., and a Road Safety Fair in Chantilly, Va. The GEICODASHBoard patch will soon be available in Atlanta and Chicago as part ofthe Girl Scout's ongoing effort to empower young women to be car androad savvy.

About GEICO

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the third-largestprivate passenger autoinsurer in the United States based on the latest 12 months writtenpremium. It provides autoinsurance coverage for 9 million policyholders and insures some 15million vehicles.

About Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital

Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital (GSCNC) is a non-profitorganization with over 82,000 members, including 58,000 girls in 4,500troops throughout the District of Columbia, six counties inMarylandandfive counties in Northern Virginia. To get involved, visit our Website at www.gscnc.org.