A hands-on traffic safety course at the Poe Center for Health Education is designed to teach children the rules of the road in a safe, controlled environment - before they head out on bikes, scooters, or on foot.
For Harris Rollins, riding her scooter is a sure sign of summer.
Now, she's switching lanes - rolling with a new crew of friends from a Durham summer camp while learning how to stay safe.
Leaders at the Poe Center say the goal is to start those lessons early, especially as North Carolina continues to rank among the worst in the nation for pedestrian and bicyclist deaths.
Nearly 200 people are killed each year on roads across the state.
Organizers hope practicing real-life scenarios on the course will help children make safer decisions in real-world situations.
Harris says those lessons stick.
"We don't want any more fatalities, frankly, and we want to do our part," said Ann Rollins, executive director of the Poe Center for Health Education. "We know if you learn the right way, you're empowered for a lifetime of healthy behaviors."
The course is open to the public on weekends, giving families a chance to practice those life-saving skills together.