Ride gives fair visitors lesson in buckling up

Strapped into the latest in SEMO District Fair rides, I thought I knew what to expect.

A switch was flipped and I slid down the roughly 30-degree ramp. About three seconds later, my ride came to an abrupt end.

My eyes cinched shut, my teeth rattled and I jerked slightly forward, saved only by my seat belt.

The ride is called the Seat Belt Convincer, and it does just that.

The Convincer simulates a 5-mph motor vehicle crash against a stationary object. Riders climb aboard one at a time, buckle up and get a quick taste of a low-impact accident.

The Convincer could have easily persuaded me to buckle up if I didn't already. The 5-mph impact was much more jarring than expected.

"It doesn't take more of a jolt to get you going really forward," Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Dale Moreland said.

The patrol and the Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety operated a booth at the fair promoting motor vehicle safety and how seat belts can save lives. The latest method is the Convincer, which debuted at the Missouri State Fair in August. By the end of the month, all nine patrol troops will have their own Convincer, Moreland said.

"If we get the word out, maybe more people will start wearing seat belts," patrol Cpl. Ron Webb said.

Although seat-belt compliance increased by 9 percent between 2000 and 2005, up to 77 percent, Missouri remains below the national average of 82 percent compliance.

The results of failing to wear a seat belt can be deadly.

Over the recent Labor Day weekend, five of the 13 people killed motor vehicle accidents in Missouri were not wearing seat belts.

"The same amount of time it takes to put on a seat belt is the same time it takes for an accident to occur," Moreland said. That amounts to three seconds.

In his nearly 28-year career with the patrol, Moreland said he has only seen one fatal accident where the victim was wearing a seat belt.

Wearing a seat belt properly is just as important as wearing one, he said. The most common misuse of a seat belt occurs when a rider places the shoulder harness under their arm, which could result in fractured ribs in an accident, he said.

Moreland stressed that drivers who do not wear a seat belt because they are traveling short distances in their neighborhood falsely believe they are at less risk of an accident. On the contrary, accidents are more likely to occur closer to a driver's home because they pay less attention as the area is more familiar to them, he said.

"Inattention is the biggest cause of accident," Moreland said.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127