To convince people to buckle up while traveling in vehicles, the state Highway Patrol will unleash "the convincer" during public demonstrations at Rapid City today, and later in Box Elder and nine other communities.

The convincer is a trailer-mounted demonstration unit, using a pickup cab that is rolled and jolted to simulate a car wreck.

"The convincer shows you how very little control the people in the car have over their own bodies during a crash and the protection a seatbelt provides," Highway Patrol Col. Dan Mosteller said in a news release. "The demonstration can be quite graphic. There's a reason they call it a convincer."

Today's Rapid City demonstrations will be from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at National American University, 321 Kansas City St., 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Western Dakota Technical Institute, 800 Mickelson Drive.

On Monday, May 4, the unit will be at Douglas High School from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Other West River area stops include White River High School on May 6 and Chamberlain on May 11.