I took my little boys to Safety Day at the Bismarck Civic Center last week and, although most things there were for slightly older kids, they did enjoy this demonstration. Two dummies are seated in a small truck on a trailer. A Highway Patrol officer then activates the motors which spin the truck’s cab and hilarity ensues. It wouldn’t be so hilarious if you’re the dummy who gets tossed around inside the vehicle and eventually ejected!

Here’s what it looks like from another angle, as a series of stills. Not good. The dummy actually got ejected, bounced on top of the vehicle briefly, then slammed down onto the trailer and rolled over. It’s a good illustration of what can happen very quickly.

Naturally we are seat belt users in our family. As a passenger in a friend’s car, I once went partially through a windshield. If my knee hadn’t gone through the dashboard I probably would have been ejected completely. It opened my eyes and I’ve been an ardent supporter of seat belt use ever since.

By the way, I don’t believe in seat belt laws for adults, but I do encourage their use. The same thing goes for helmet use; as a former motorcycle racer, I’ve ruined multiple helmets but kept my head intact as a result. I’m not going to go around trying to force others to wear seat belts and helmets, but I will give an enthusiastic testimony of their effectiveness.

Sometimes, of course, people just have to see for themselves, and that’s what this machine is all about. In addition to my fatherly guidance, I’m hoping demonstrations like this will open the eyes of my boys as well!