Duty Officer Sheila Ferguson prepares
to ride on the Seat Belt Convincer.

Florida Highway Patrol Duty Officer Sheila Ferguson recently invited her FHP co-workers to visit the annual Lake Road Neighborhood Reunion. The reunion consists of families that originally formed the Lake Road neighborhood in Gainesville. DO Ferguson's family was among the first to start the neighborhood. As the original families moved away from the neighborhood, they all vowed to reunite regularly. Each year, they have a neighborhood cookout and invite all surrounding neighbors in the Lake Road area to join them.

DO Ferguson felt the reunion would be a wonderful opportunity to teach local residents and friends about the importance of seat belts so she requested the use of one of the Seat Belt Convincers for the event. Lt. Mike Burroughs and FHPA Major Steve Byrne were happy to oblige with not only a Seat Belt Convincer, but also a Camaro, and Fatal Vision goggles to educate the attendees.

Florida Highway Patrol traffic display.

The FHP Seat Belt Convincer, which simulates a 7-10 mile per hour crash, allows participants to experience a crash while wearing a lap and shoulder seat belt. Most motorists have no understanding of how even a low speed crash feels. The Seat Belt Convincer focuses on convincing motorists and passengers to wear their seat belts

A group of children check out the Fatal Vision Goggles.