Last week, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and the City of Richmond unveiled a 54-foot bright yellow ladder beside The Diamond to illustrate the force pedestrians experience when struck by a vehicle. According to the campaign, a person hit by a car going 40 mph suffers the same impact as being pushed from the top of the five-story structure.

“Speeding was a factor in more than 400 traffic deaths in Virginia last year,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III. “Every driver has a responsibility to understand the real impact of their decisions behind the wheel. This campaign puts the stark reality of those consequences front and center, urging everyone to slow down, follow the speed limit, and save lives.”

The display features a video of a climber scaling the structure, with speed markers indicating the equivalent fall distance for crashes at 10, 20, 30 and 40 mph. The campaign aims to make the physics of speed more relatable for drivers.

“This campaign makes the invisible visible,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.

“We’re taking the science of impact and turning it into something drivers can feel in their gut — because that’s how we change behavior.”

In 2024, 410 people died in speed-related crashes across Virginia, including 10 fatalities in the City of Richmond.

“In Richmond, we’re committed to making our streets safer for everyone — whether you’re behind the wheel, on a bike or on foot,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “If this display gets even one person to slow down and save a life, it’s worth every foot, because a thriving city starts with safe streets.”

The ladder installation was conceptualized by Two Tango Collaborative, designed by Barker Designs and built by BrandSafway Scaffolding Systems.