Students got to sit behind the wheel of a simulator. They were instructed to try to Snapchat or text while keeping under the 30 mile-per-hour speed limit, and trying not to crash.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) – Students at McCutcheon high school got the chance to get hands on with distracted driving on Thursday. PEERS is a non-profit that educates kids on the dangers of distracted driving using augmented reality.
Students got to sit behind the wheel of a simulator. They were instructed to try to Snapchat or text while keeping under the 30 mile-per-hour speed limit, and trying not to crash.
Raymond Hill is a former firefighter who said he has seen every kind of horrible crash. He wants the new generation of young drivers to be aware.
“Distracted driving encompasses anything that is a distraction and there’s three major types: visual, manual and cognitive,” he said. “The problem with the cell phone is when they pick that up, they’re doing all three at the same time.”
He said there are 1.6 million accidents in the U.S. alone and that 10 kids between the ages 16 and 24 every day.
Joe Phinisee and Joshua Garcia are both juniors who went through the class. They each have had their license for only a month and six months respectively. They said the experience was eye opening.
“I think for sure this will help in real life,” said Phinisee. “It’s basically just like texting and driving on the real road.”
“Especially after doing this simulation and seeing that being distracted and texting is really impacts your driving,” said Garcia.
The headgear each student wore even tracked how many seconds the driver’s eyes were off the road. The simulator had them drive through a computerize city that had stoplights, pedestrians and other hazards to drivers.
Students signed a pledge book not to drive distracted, and to spread the word to friends and family about keeping your eyes on the road.
“If we all do our part, maybe there is a firefighter who won’t have to wonder if he had been a bit quicker would he have been able to make a difference,” said Hill. “And maybe that police officer won’t have to knock on the door at midnight and give that parent news that no parent should get.”