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Awareness Day Brings Transportation Safety Message to Kendall Square

Monday, July 25, 2016

One way to understand the consequences of impaired, distracted, or unsafe driving—without having to live through them—is with simulators and demonstrations of life-saving technologies.

Recently, our Safety and Health Program opened up the Volpe campus in Cambridge’s Kendall Square for our 2016 Traffic Safety Awareness Day. In partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 1, this event showed the public how transportation intersects with safety, health, and human behavior.

Greg Winfree stands next to a Cambridge Department of Public Works truck outfitted with side guards.“The work we do at Volpe is incredibly important,” said Gregory Winfree, assistant secretary for Research and Technology, who made introductory remarks. “But even more important is opening the gates so that the public can see some of the technologies that will help them understand what impairment looks like, to see what it looks like when the Jaws of Life have to cut you out of a vehicle. Hopefully that will cement the message that we’re trying to send: that it’s safety first in transportation.”

Attendees took tours of our car simulator and Alcohol Countermeasures Laboratory, which tests and approves alcohol-detection devices used by law enforcement around the country. There were also demonstrations by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Massachusetts State Police, the Cambridge Fire Department, the City of Cambridge, and Arbella Insurance.

Distracted Driving, Side Guards, and the Jaws of Life

At the Arbella Distractology simulator, participants buckled up and drove down a busy highway at 55 miles per hour—then, they were told to take out their phones and start texting. For most, the act of texting led to a (simulated) rear-end collision.

“I struggle with what is so darn important that it forces you to take your eyes off the task of piloting a 4,000-pound vehicle to respond to a text or make a phone call,” Winfree said.

The B.A.T. Mobile was also on hand—no, not that bat mobile. The Massachusetts State Police brought the Breath Alcohol Testing (B.A.T.) Mobile, which they use at checkpoints to test, arrest, and book drunk drivers. The state police also brought their rollover simulator to show how passengers who are not wearing seatbelts can be thrown from a vehicle that is rolling over.

The City of Cambridge demonstrated how truck side guards—which Volpe has extensively researched—can keep bicyclists and pedestrians from falling beneath large vehicles.

FHWA Region 1 demonstrated HAWK—High-intensity Activated crossWalK—signals, which automatically detect pedestrians waiting to cross a street and activate traffic signals in their favor. And, participants tried on concussion goggles that mimic the visual perception of someone who has suffered a head injury or is impaired.

Finally, the Cambridge Fire Department simulated rescues using a high-pressure air bag to lift a car off the ground and remove a test dummy underneath, and the Jaws of Life to cut off the top of the car.

“There will probably be upwards of 90 people killed on our nation’s roads today,” said Art Kinsman, NHTSA Region 1 administrator, who also made introductory remarks. “Those kinds of things go on day after day, and that’s why we do the work that we do. And each one of those, there’s a story there—they’re people.”

Simulated Rescue

Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to cut into a car
Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to cut into a car, with part of the roof now removed.
Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to cut into a car, with the roof now completely removed.
During Traffic Safety Awareness Day, the Cambridge Fire Department simulates a rescue using the Jaws of Life to cut the top off of a car. (Volpe photos)