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April 2004
Toward Zero Deaths Program featured at Mall of America
Mall visitors viewed a State Patrol vehicle
A TZD display at the Mall of America
Mall of America visitors learned about strategies to reduce road fatalities February 7–8 when the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) Program staffed an exhibit as part of the Government on Display Expo.
TZD is an interagency partnership led by the Department of Public Safety and Mn/DOT, in cooperation with the State Patrol, the Federal Highway Administration, Minnesota county engineers, and CTS. More information about the program can be found at www.minnesotatzd.org.
The program's exhibit featured the Minnesota State Patrol rollover simulator and a patrol car, a Mn/DOT FIRST vehicle, and a display with informational handouts. Visitors to the mall had an opportunity to see demonstrations of the rollover simulator that showed the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt. They also checked out the vehicles on display and visited with the exhibit staff. In addition, State Patrol troopers were featured on the expo main stage demonstrating how a suspected DWI stop is handled with a volunteer from the audience wearing "fatal vision" goggles.
Many people helped staff the exhibit during the two days: Kathy Swanson, Virginia Lockman, and Susie Palmer, Office of Traffic Safety, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Lt. Mark Peterson, Sgt. Dewey Severson, Sgt. Andy Schmidt, and Sgt. Dave Marquart, Minnesota State Patrol; Loren Hill, Gary Dirlam, Mary Meinert, Brian Kary, Todd Kramascz, John McClellan, and Jeff Johnston, Mn/DOT; Dave Kopacz, Federal Highway Administration; Pat Hackman, Safe Communities of Wright County/Hwy. 55 TZD Group; Bob Bollenbeck, Hwy. 65/95 TZD Coalition; and Gina Baas, CTS. The expo is sponsored annually by the Federal Executive Board of Minnesota, a group made up of federal agencies that have offices in Minnesota. The Minnesota Division of the Federal Highway Administration was the TZD Program's sponsor at the expo.