Girl Scouts in the Garage

It is no surprise that Girl Scouts do not mind getting their hands dirty. This holds true for the 18 teen girls from the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast who attended the GEICO Car Care Clinic on May 16 at Elite Auto Body in Norfolk. This is the third time that GEICO has hosted a car care clinic for Girl Scouts to teach girls basic car knowledge, including changing a tire, checking the oil and jump starting a car.

“We want to teach girls in the community basic auto care skills so that they become strong community members while driving,” Julia Grim, auto damage management development coordinator for GEICO, said. “Having interactive clinics is important because girls learn a lot more that way.”

Samantha tries to send a text message while trying to keep her
"car" on the road through the driving simulator.

The girls rotated between stations in groups, where they tested tire air pressure, watched a tire-changing demonstration, practiced checking the oil and learned how to jump a car battery. The girls also took part in a distracted driving simulation where they had to “drive” a car using a steering wheel hooked up to a computer while trying to send a text message. The girls quickly learned how dangerous it could be to take their eyes off the road. GEICO also invited representatives from RK Chevrolet to the clinic who gave car-buying advice to the Girl Scout teens.

Francesca checks the oil level in car. 

“Learning how to be safe if I do have an emergency on the road was the most important part of the clinic for me,” Francesca, a Girl Scout Senior from Yorktown, said.

By the end of the clinic, each of the girls earned the Girl Scout Car Care badge, which was designed to provide girls with experiences to master car maintenance responsibilities and learn about safe driving skills. Girl Scouts knows that driving is an exciting step for girls towards independence, which is why the organization partners with experts in the community, including GEICO, to help insure girls will have a safe experience behind the wheel.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and GEICO will be receiving the Governor’s Transportation Safety Award in Richmond on June 15 for the car care clinics. The award recognizes individuals and organizations who have contributed to transportation safety in Virginia.