October 6, 2009

We've all seen their commercials warning us to wear our seat belts and not to drink and drive.

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety isn't too far away, and not only do they teach safe driving, but they also help the local economy.

Cars that were once nice and new are getting banged up to showcase their safety. Unless you've experienced a high-speed car crash, where a car hits another at 80 mph, you probably wouldn't expect what a crash test feels like.

"I was still shaking after I saw the crash. It was really cool though," says Colin Chambers, who watched the test.

At the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, what they do promotes safety.

"I think when people come and observe this, it really opens their eyes to how violent a car crash really is," says a spokesperson with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Institute is based out of Ruckersville in Greene County, so all the cars that are tested are locally purchased.

"I think it really benefits the community to have a place like this locally," says Kevin Powell with Volvo of Charlottesville.

Not only does the Institute hire locally, but Volvo also hopes that seeing how well the cars do in the crash test will persuade people to buy from their local car dealerships.