The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the City of Richmond are set to unveil a new public safety display at The Diamond. This display features a 54-foot bright yellow ladder, accompanied by a video of a professional climber scaling it. The installation is designed to visually demonstrate the severe impact of speed in vehicle crashes, illustrating that a pedestrian hit by a car traveling at 40 mph experiences the same force as falling from the top of this ladder.
This initiative aims to raise awareness about speed-related fatalities, which resulted in 410 deaths across Virginia last year, including 10 in Richmond. It forms part of a broader speed awareness campaign coordinated across jurisdictions within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Region 3.
The press conference will take place on Friday, July 25 at 10 a.m. at The Diamond located at 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA. Media representatives can park on the red lot near Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
Speakers at the event include W. Sheppard Miller III, Virginia Secretary of Transportation; Gerald Lackey, Commissioner for the Virginia DMV; Brandy Brubaker, Director of Highway Safety Strategy for the DMV; Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police; Lawson Wijesooriya, Chief of Staff for City Mayor Danny Avula; and Andrew Beton, Richmond Councilmember and member of the Safe and Healthy Streets Commission.
Richmond has been proactive in traffic safety measures as part of its Vision Zero commitment. Over the past year, these efforts have included increased speed enforcement and school zone safety cameras along with constructing 200 speed tables citywide.
The ladder project was developed through local collaboration involving Two Tango Collaborative’s concept design, Barker Designs’ architectural work, BrandSafway Scaffolding Systems’ construction efforts, and Advanced Visual Production’s video production services.
