Texting and Driving Program Stops At Santa Maria High School With Distracted Driving Simulator

The Arrive Alive Tour brought their texting and driving program to Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria, California, recently. Our educational programs teach students the dangers of distracted driving. Along with our drinking and driving simulator, which teaches the dangers of drinking while driving.

Texting and Driving Program

Our distracted driving simulator was setup at Santa Maria High School on Friday, February 2. According to KSBY, representatives from the Santa Maria Joint Union School Distract stated that about 100 students participated in the texting and driving program. The program consists of two simulators and videos that create texting or drunk driving experiences. Also, participants received a citation with any traffic violations they may have committed. Students also take part in a survey and can do a picture pledge. This allows them to pledge to never drink or text and drive again!

Program Feedback

During the event at Santa Maria High School, Ruby Cruz, a sophomore, talked with KSBY about her time in the simulator. She said, “Being distracted by driving wouldn’t just affect yourself but it could also have affected the other cars in the lane, so in the simulator, there was no other car but if there were I could of done harm to myself or to the other car.”

KSBY also spoke with Adrian Salazar, Activity Director at Santa Maria High School: “This is a great opportunity for our students to learn more about the consequences of distracted and impaired driving. With the use of the simulator, we hope our students leave with a better understanding of the dangers and therefore make good choices.”

Car Crash Statistics

The NHTSA states that car crashes are the number one cause of death for U.S. citizens. This is the case for people between the ages of 5 and 34. If the driver is texting while driving, that makes a crash 23 times more likely to happen! That is why our texting and driving program is so crucial for these kids to learn of those dangers.