Auxiliary Trooper David Childress gets
Lt. Billy Rippy ready for the ride.

Recently, a group of boy scouts and some of our troopers got the chance to ride in one of our Seat Belt Convincers (a special sled device equipped with a seat belt that simulates a ten mile per hour crash), which is designed to demonstrate the importance of wearing a seat belt. Each year, the Boy Scouts of America holds a special safety event to give its troops a chance to focus on a variety of safety issues, and each year FHP is happy to attend. This year, Troopers were invited to share what they know about traffic safety, and to relay important messages about the need to buckle up and the dangers of drinking and driving.

Ricky Rippy, son of Lt. Billy Rippy,
gets ready for his ride on the Seat Belt Convincer.

Troopers provided several activities at the event, offering the scouts the opportunity to try their luck on an obstacle course while wearing Fatal Vision goggles (special goggles that simulate varying degrees of drunkenness); to take a ride on the Seat Belt Convincer; and to watch FHP’s award winning Stay Alive, Just Drive! distracted driving video. In addition, the scouts were able to interact with several members of the Patrol from Troop F, including Lt. Billy Rippy, Trooper Bill Harris, Occupant Protection Specialist Trooper Lucy Papp, and Auxiliary Trooper David Childress. All the scouts and troopers had a good time sharing information about traffic safety.

Trooper Bill Harris gets a scout to put on
a pair of the Fatal Vision goggles.