Safety City: Where Every Lubbock Kid Became a Responsible Driver Before Middle School

Skipping boring school lessons to ride around in tiny cars at Safety City was peak childhood freedom in the 90s in Lubbock. If you grew up here, there's a good chance you spent at least one glorious school day behind the wheel of one of those little cars, dreaming about the day you'd be old enough to drive a real one.

Tiny Car Nostalgia

Of course, it wasn't all just for fun. They were teaching us (or at least trying to teach us) about the importance of following traffic signs, wearing seatbelts, looking both ways before crossing the road, and the rest, BUT that didn't stop us from having a blast. For one afternoon, you weren't just a kid; you were an 8-year-old licensed motorist, wind in your hair, plastic seatbelt across your chest, learning life lessons.

Check out a field trip video from 2013 below that I came across on YouTube:

More About Safety City

Over 10,000 kids per year go through the Safety City program, learning about pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle safety in an interactive, child-size mock city. It's adorable. If you're new to town, it's worth a visit for the kiddos, or at least a click on the internet to check it out.

Read More: The History Of Texas' Oldest Highway, Old San Antonio Road

Reasons To Go Again

Did you know you can actually throw a birthday party for your kids at Safety City? How cool is that? I don't have any kids, but I'd borrow yours for the afternoon if that meant I got a shot at squeezing back into one of those little cars. Any takers?

Looking back, Safety City wasn't really about cool toy cars or pretend stoplights; it was more about the joy of being trusted with something grown-up, and the memories really feel bigger than life. For kiddos in Lubbock, it's a taste of independence wrapped up in flashing signals and looking before you leap. Sometimes, the simplest field trips are the ones that stick around the old noggin.

Thanks, Safety City, for all the fun, and for teaching us a few things about what it means to be a responsible member of society, and putting up with the chaos of giving kids the keys!