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The Convincer Is a 5 MPH Crash Simulator, People’s Reactions Are Surprising

If you need physical arguments to convince you to fasten your seatbelt once your climb inside a car, you clearly haven’t done your driving or at least your passenger homework.
5 MPH Crash Simulator 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Nonetheless, when it comes to road safety, it’s never too late to learn, so the Connecticut State Police teamed up with the University of Hartford Department of Public Safety to give them “The Convincer”.

The aptly-named tool simulates a 5 MPH (that's 8 km/h for all you metric fans) accident by sliding a seat down a rail and into a metallic structure. The Convincer was brought to the UHart campus, with students being invited to go for a ride. These things have been around for as long as we can remember, but a refresher is always good.

Yours truly has had to go though this kind of experience during performance driving school and I remember it brought back the kind of soapbox racing memories I though I had suppressed.

The shock is enough to give you a reality check, one that somehow manages to take you by surprise. At first, you don’t expect the impact to be that serious, but you quickly redo the calculations as you feel the sudden deceleration’s effects on your body.

Since we’re basically talking about safety marketing here, I strongly recommend long hair as a brand ambassador. There’s nothing quite like the sight of strands of hair being thrown into the air as the impact takes place.

This might even remind people about another more or less hidden dangers of crashes - objects being left unsecured inside one’s vehicle. During a crash, that cute plastic toy sitting at the back of your car can deliver quite a punch to the back of your head.

P.S.: Hat tip to the police officers with the funny hats. Humor aside, do remember to buckle up kids, mkay?


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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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