Students Get A Taste Of Driving Under The Influence And Distracted Driving

Press release from the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District:

The decisions that you make can have a lifelong impact on you and others. Something simple such as sending a quick text on your phone while driving can have deadly consequences.

Juniors and seniors at Briarcliff High School recently got a sense of what it is like to drive while being impaired or while texting on their phone in an immersive educational program using simulators.

The day before the event, all juniors and seniors at the school watched a 30-minute video in their English classes. The video was about various distractions that can occur while driving, such as texting, as well as driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or while being drowsy.

“The video showed how families lost loves ones due to driving while impaired,” said Anthony, a senior.

The next day, students participated in the “Save a Life” program during their social studies classes in the school auditorium.

They met with C.J. Rich of Matrix Entertainment, who showed the students the simulators, that were on the stage. He explained to students how simulators work and how to use the pedals.

Each “drive” in the sim takes 90 seconds and involves a form of impairment.

One sim involved holding a cell phone and responding to texts coming from it, while driving on the sim. Students used the phone to answer questions such as “What is your favorite fruit?” while also trying to drive the sim.

“It was hard, I ended up crashing,” said James, a senior. “I was distracted by the texting. The car crashed in the middle of the road.”

The other sim had a delay reaction, which simulated the impairment that people have when they are either driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or when they are drowsy.

“There’s a delay in the functionality of the steering wheel and the pedal,” Mr. Rich said.

“I was freaking out, it was scary,” said Brithany, a senior. “As soon as you sit down, your vision becomes blurry, and holding onto the wheel made me scared even though I knew it’s a simulation. It felt so real. Now I will be even less inclined to drive while being impaired.”

“My eyes still feel kind of shaky, I couldn’t control the wheel,” said Alyson, a senior. “I felt a delayed reaction. It was scary.”

“The break felt a lot stiffer,” said Braden, also a senior.

The event was coordinated by Briarcliff High School Student Assistance Counselor, Meredith Ohmes.

“Schools that have the ROADD program (Reduce Our Adolescence Drinking/Drugging and Driving) through Student Assistance Services were invited to apply to the program and have it fully funded by the NY State STOP-DWI.

“Our program is available to high schools, colleges and military bases,” Mr. Rich said. “The purpose is to show people what it is like to drive while distracted or impaired. When students “crash,” which usually takes about 30 seconds, they experience the devastating effects of driving while texting or driving under the influence. We want to show them the consequences of choices that they make.

“People say that texting is more dangerous than drunk driving, and that is only because it is a lot easier to have access to a phone. When you are texting, you can always choose to put your phone down, but it takes a few seconds to get the focus back because people are “drunk” on their text message; they are still thinking about it.

“With alcohol, it goes directly to your bloodstream, and you are really impaired, but you can’t do anything about it, other than not drive. It also impairs your judgement about deciding whether to drive or not and it makes you feel more relaxed, so you are not thinking about all of the things you should be thinking about when you are driving.

“We hope the students understand the responsibilities when they get in a car, and the consequences. They should know that the mistakes they make while driving the sim are similar to what they would make in real life – if they crash the sim here, this will happen in real life as well. If you can’t do it here, you can’t do it on the road.”

“This is a wonderful program because it’s interactive,” said Patricia Tomassi, director of Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol-Free Youth. “It is useful to have at schools year-round, but especially as we approach prom season.”

This press release was produced by the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.