FLASHY CAR, STRONG MESSAGE

Ask any high school student to list what is most important to him. If he is honest, he will likely list his wheels in the top five items. Some prefer muscle cars, others sporty sedans or compacts and still others wouldn't feel right in anything but a pickup truck.

Regardless, strike up a conversation with a teen-ager. At some point, he's likely to talk about his ride.

Recognizing this, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, in cooperation with Sikeston public schools, recently purchased a new car for its Drug Awareness and Resistance Education -- DARE -- program.

The rear bumper on the car says it all: "Not your average black and white."

Instead of a four-door sedan, the new DARE car is a 1994 Ford Mustang sport coupe with a black-and-white flame paint job, a bright silver badge and big red letters spelling DARE.

Every piece of equipment on the car was donated, from the mag wheels to the radios, by Sikeston businesses. School and grant funding paid for the car's purchase price.

DARE and public safety officials hope the new design will attract youngsters' attention while selling the message that resisting drugs and obeying the law is as fine as a flashy fast car.