Respect the Cage wreck comes to Polson
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
2 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — “The number one question asked is ‘Can I ride in the rollover vehicle?’” Michelle Erb, Room to Live Respect the Cage Safety Campaign staffer said.
The rollover cab looks like a front portion of a car and contains two dummies, Eddie and Little Eddie. Eddie does not wear a seatbelt while Little Eddie is buckled in. Activating the vehicle simulates a car rolling at 30 to 35 mph. Eddie, without a seatbelt, catapults out of the cab after several rolls, but Little Eddie remains safe.
“A seatbelt doubles your chance of survival in any accident,” Erb explained.
The campaign’s main messages are to wear a seat belt and don’t drink and drive, Erb said. A “safety cage” is found in every vehicle and provides room at the head, feet and sides of a driver or passenger who is buckled up. To demonstrate the importance of respecting the cage, Erb, Ashley Koepke, and their crew haul a mangled red 2006 Pontiac G6 to events, such as Polson’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament last weekend.
Two people returning home from a bar late at night wrecked the car in July 2007 in Missoula. The passenger, to show his faith in the car’s driver, removed his safety belt. Going 98 mph, the car fishtailed, the driver overcorrected and the vehicle rolled seven times. The passenger died three days later, but the driver was able to unbuckle his seat belt and scramble out.
A bulge in the door and a head-shaped dent in the window frame show where the passenger’s body bent the car. While the driver’s side is also damaged, the seatbelt kept him confined to the safety cage.
The Montana Highway Department produced an 11-minute video of this tragic story, which was handed out at the basketball tourney as well as T-shirts, seat belt cozies, dog tag key chains and bumper stickers.
With 110 people visiting the display by 2 p.m. on July 22, Erb said they had lots of positive response from kids and their parents, especially from the seat belt contest. Two kids sit next to each other on the bench seat from a vehicle. At a signal, the contestants tried to be the first to fasten his or her seat belt. A light signaled the winner, who scored a Respect the Cage T-shirt.
Erb and her crew will be hitting the fair circuit, hosting displays at fairs in Kalispell, Plains, Helena, Superior, Twin Bridges and Miles City. For more information, go to the website at www.respectthecage.com.
