Trooper David Sanford of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section explains the use of a drag sled to measure coefficient of friction - one of the factors used in analyzing car crashes - to a Hampshire Regional High School student.
'The Science of Collisions': Troopers Host Collision Awareness Training at Hampshire Regional High School
On May 21, the Massachusetts State Police, in cooperation with the Northwestern District Attorney's Office and several area police departments, hosted a training exercise at the Hampshire Regional High School in Westhampton to teach teens about the physics and mechanics of automobile crashes.
This exercise used a newly developed teaching tool called "Crash-The Science of Collisions," to facilitate high school physics lessons using crash scenario data, while simultaneously teaching teen drivers about the cause and effect of a driver's actions upon a vehicle. Troopers from the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section simulated characteristics of a crash in the school's parking lot and provided statistical data for the students to analyze and evaluate.
The goal of the training scenario was to raise awareness levels about the mechanics of accidents, in order to reduce the future occurrence of crashes by teen drivers through operator education.
Other participants were Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel and Assistant District Attorney Curtis Frick; Westhampton Police Chief David White and Sergeant Floyd Fisher; Williamsburg Police Acting Chief Denise Wickland; Goshen Police Chief Jeffrey Hewes; Chesterfield Police Corporal Aimee Wallace; and Southampton Police Officer Scott Gove.