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SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Automobile Museum’s (SAM) 12th Annual Spring Auto Show will have a motorized lineup that provides a worthy kickoff to the spring regional car show season. The action begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, where the lawn surrounding the reflecting pool adjacent to SAM on the grounds of Spa State Park will be packed with hundreds of dream cars. It’s always an eye-popping spectacle.

If you wish to participate and show off your pride and joy, there is still time. Pre-registration is $15; day of show is $20 and museum admission is included with registration. Visit saratogaautomuseum.org to register. All types of vehicles are welcome to participate, but this year the museum is featuring British marques (auto insider lingo for brands; in this case examples are Jaguar, MG and Rolls Royce), as well as racecars (two noteworthy clubs in attendance will be the Atlantic Coast Old Timers and the Sports Car Club of America’s Mohawk-Hudson region), pre-WWII vehicles of all types and motorcycles. Or, you can just go and appreciate.

There will be about a dozen trophy classifications at stake, and yet the atmosphere is usually more congenial than competitive, as vintage car owners tend to be as admiring of the work done on their neighbor’s prized possession as their own. Adding to that ambiance is the fact that SAM has gone to great lengths to make this anything but an insider’s event; it’s a family fun day with contests, games and activities in which everyone can participate. Kids even have their own judging category! There will be a Stewart’s ice cream dipping station and the museum will trot out its vintage popcorn machine for all to enjoy. 

Of particular note that should have general appeal is a program that Donnie Gould, an automotive appraisal expert will present called “What’s Your Car Worth?” based on the Discovery Network TV show. You can learn the considerations that go into a pricing evaluation, whether it will pay to go through the cost of restoring your vintage vehicle, what you might expect to receive at an auction and other related topics.   

And, of course, there is the museum itself. Worth a visit on it’s own, there will be plenty on display to round out your afternoon. In addition to their ongoing exhibits such as “Luxury Automobiles: Through the Ages,” which showcases extravagant vehicles from a 1903 Hansom Cab to a 2014 Ferrari; “East of Detroit,” spotlighting the New York State auto manufacturing industry, SAM has launched a major educational initiative with the installation of four simulators so that everyone in the family, whether they are old enough to drive or not, can learn about the dangers of distracted driving (see Saratoga TODAY Newspaper’s May 8 issue for more details about this initiative). 

So the former bottling plant for mineral spring waters, which was repurposed and opened to the public in June of 2002, should be at its showroom shiniest on Saturday. A perfect time to visit (or re-visit) and get revved up! 

For more information, visit saratogaautomuseum.org

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Automobile Museum (SAM) has invested in and installed a powerful tool for combating a major problem on our roads – distracted driving. This problem is particularly rampant among young motorists, but by no means exclusively. Four state-of-the-art distracted driving simulators, funded by donations and the Museum’s board of trustees, are now in operation at the Museum and available for the public to use with a paid admission. 

In doing this, the museum has also expanded its mission from educating about automotive history, to a forceful and consistent advocate for safety behind the wheel. “We will be reaching out to schools, calling driver education classes and private driving instructors,” said SAM Educational Director Seth Warden.  

At a conference at SAM on Tuesday, May 5, Anthony Ianniello, Chair of SAM’s Board of Trustees, called distracted driving “…nothing less than an epidemic,” leading to more accidents than impaired driving. “We intend to bring in young people here by the bus load to show them what can happen when you don’t pay full attention.” He introduced a panel that included Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo, Congressman Paul Tonko and Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen, each of whom spoke of the dangers of driving while distracted. 

Congressman Tonko noted the fact that there were 3,100 deaths on our nation’s roads in 2013 that were attributed to distracted driving, and that injuries continue to rise: 424,000 people injured in the same year. The overwhelming majority of these were young drivers. Mayor Yepsen noted the need to reverse these trends, citing her concerns for her three young driving children, ages 19 to 27, and lauded the museum for “taking its educational message to another level.” 

The four panelists then each got behind the wheel of the simulators, which resembled an arcade ride with a steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals, and three video screens that represented front and side windows, as well as rear and side mirrors. The video presented each driver with a myriad of distractions, both in and outside their “vehicle.” Included in the list were cell phones, of course, but also animals, pedestrians, other vehicles, passengers talking to you, unfamiliar roads and much more. Violations are tracked and displayed on the screens in real time. 

But the simulation program, called ‘One Simple Decision,’ did more than track traffic mishaps and accidents and keep score. The consequences are also detailed on the video depending on what you experienced. A crash might get you a visit from an EMT unit; a minor fender-bender’s economic outcomes are detailed – from the cost of repairs to insurance increases and points on your license. A vehicular homicide will have law enforcement drag you to court, listen to a victim’s family read an impact statement, and receive a sentence.

After each simulation, a user will complete a survey about their experiences and the data will be compiled to help SAM develop other programs to serve the community. 

After his turn on the simulator, Sheriff Zurlo called it “a great educational tool.” He noted that the simulator was extremely easy to control and that young drivers would be able to operate it with ease. “There was always something happening, and it shows the importance of really paying attention to what you are doing.” He said. 

Congressman Tonko had similar reactions. “It really showed how quickly things can happen, and how alert you constantly need to be.” He said. 

For more information about the Saratoga Auto Museum’s activities and educational programs, visit saratogaautomuseum.org