Distracted Driving Simulator At Yorktown High School

The Arrive Alive Tour continues bringing their distracted driving simulator around the country. One of the latest stops was at Yorktown High School in Virginia. The students were able to learn the dangers of distracted driving and drinking and driving!

Distracted Driving Simulator

The simulator gives the participants the feeling of “being drunk” or having to send a text message. The facilitators are able to change the blood alcohol levels for the participants using the simulator and virtual reality goggles. It may shock you, but six times more accidents occur due to texting while driving than drunk driving. People think it is not a bad thing to do behind the wheel, but the statistics show otherwise!

Yorktown High School Event

Stephanie Meadows, a health teacher at the school, brought the event to Yorktown High School. She applied for a grant to bring the program to her school to help emphasize healthy behaviors. The school recently conducted a risk behavior survey and the numbers were surprising for many. According to the survey, 33 percent of Yorktown students had tried marijuana, 66 percent had not. It’s important to emphasize that 66 percent of her students chose to live in a healthy way and provide the rationale for health-wise choices. That is not terrible, but it is still 1 out of every 3 students have tried it!

During the event, students were able to experience the simulator and see the effects distracted driving and drunk driving has on their driving abilities. After one of the simulations, a student “crashed” the vehicle and put the blame on another driver on the road, as they pulled out too quickly in front of them. However, our facilitator brought reality into the situation. The facilitator said, “That’s right, but your reaction time was impaired by the alcohol, and when the police come, you will get a DUI charge — not the other guy.”