THE ISSUE: Rollover simulator

OUR OPINION: Device can make convincing case for seat belts

The simulations of DUI-related accidents tend to make a strong point with young and old alike. Experiencing such an accident scene, even in simulated form, is chilling.

Now the S.C. Highway Patrol has another tool to illustrate vividly to motorists what happens in a rollover accident and why wearing safety belts is essential to saving lives.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration awarded a $34,000 grant to the Highway Patrol for a simulator. It illustrates the effect of a low-speed rollover crash using an adult and child dummy.

The cab of a truck is mounted to a trailer and when the trooper activates the simulator, the cab rotates at a speed of 15-17 mph. The demonstration at first shows what happens in a rollover crash when the dummies are secured by a safety belt. The second illustration shows them being thrown from the vehicle when not buckled up.

“The Rollover Simulator is an attention-getter because people initially want to know what it is,” said Col. Kenny Lancaster, Highway Patrol commander. “When they see it in action, however, they are shocked by how quickly the dummies are ejected from the vehicle when not restrained. This is the point we’re trying to drive home. Even at a very low speed, safety belts and child restraints are absolutely life-saving and vital.”

The grant has first focused on areas of the state where belt usage is low and fatalities are high. The first three counties of focus include Lexington, Berkeley and Florence. In the three counties where the rollover simulator will initially be used, most of the people who died not wearing safety belts were males in the 21-50 age range.

While safety belt compliance rose in June to its highest number since 1991 in South Carolina (over 80 percent), there is still much work that remains to be done.

According to the most recent safety belt study released by the S.C. Department of Public Safety, women continue to be more likely than men to use safety belts (87.8 percent to 77.1 percent); passengers are marginally more likely than drivers to use safety belts (82.1 percent to 81.3 percent); and rural occupants are less likely to use safety belts than urban occupants (79.5 percent to 82.3 percent). White occupants had a higher rate of use than non-white occupants (84.7 percent to 74.1 percent), while car occupants were more likely to wear safety belts than truck occupants (84.3 percent to 75 percent), according a study by the University of South Carolina.

The Highway Patrol will display the rollover simulator at the State Fair and will continue to use it at events with a high attendance including fairs, industry, festivals and churches.

Orangeburg may not be among the first counties, but with the county’s death rate running markedly ahead of last year’s, there is a real need here to convince more people to buckle their safety belts. Simulator demonstrations would be welcome.

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