By Forum Staff
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Woodhaven) recently hosted an interactive and educational safety event at Richmond Hill High School. It allowed participants to try a crash simulator, drunk goggles, the seatbelt convincer (which simulates a 5 mph crash) and the rollover convincer which demonstrates what happens to passengers who are not wearing a seatbelt in a rollover crash.
“In doing so, hopefully it will get people to think twice about being pre-occupied behind the wheel.”
Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo
Senator Addabbo braves the Seat Belt Convincer.
In 2022 there were 3,308 people killed and an estimated additional 289,310 people injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Although the number of fatalities fell by 6% from 2021 to 2022 (3,521 to 3,308), it remains a significant problem, representing 8% of all traffic fatalities The economic cost resulting from distracted-driving traffic crashes is estimated to be $98 billion, which such costs as: lost productivity; workplace costs; medical costs; and emergency medical services.
“My office and I decided to refrain from offering a class in what not to do, but rather allowed people to truly experience impairment and distraction using the senses of touch, sight, and sound,” Addabbo said.
The agencies and partners that participated in the event include: the City Police Department Transportation Bureau, City Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, the State Police, Flavors Driving School, and Jenoptik USA, an international company in the field of automated safety and enforcement, which is piloting a camera program to catch distracted drivers in the act. It has already begun trial usage in Australia, Addabbo noted.
