Health & Fitness
AT&T Challenges Students in Utica Community Schools to Not Text and Drive
Stevenson High School students try out a virtual reality simulator to see the dangers of distracted driving.
Dozens of students in Utica Community Schools saw firsthand last week the dangers of texting and driving.
As part of its It Can Wait campaign, AT&T brought its virtual reality simulator to the Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights and workers talked to students the dangerous practice that puts millions of Americans at risk.
To drive home the message, students got to test out the simulator, where they were instructed to navigate a course and adhere to common driving laws, such as speed and traffic lights – all while trying to respond to text messages.
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Inevitably students ran a traffic light, crashed into another car or were pulled over by police for driving too slow. Students, including Aaron Mizgalski, 18, said the simulator helped them better understand the dangers and most agreed to take the pledge and not to text and drive.
“Texting while driving, which is prohibited in Michigan, is involved in more than 200,000 vehicle crashes each year across our country, often causing injuries and deaths," said Det. Lt. Kevin Reese, of the Sterling Heights Police Department, who was on hand for the May 19 event. "We’ve joined the ‘It Can Wait’ movement to help spread the message that no text is worth dying for.”
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It Can Wait is a national movement tapping into the power of social media and personal networks to make texting and driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving. It urges drivers to visit www.ItCanWait.com, where they can pledge not to text and drive, and share their pledge with others via Twitter (#ItCanWait) and Facebook. It also offers a host of educational resources and information on the issue – including a documentary featuring families impacted by texting and driving crashes.
Research shows that speaking up against texting while driving works. A ConnectSafely.org survey sponsored by AT&T found that:
· 78% of teen drivers say they're likely not to text and drive if friends tell them it's wrong or stupid.
· 90% say they'd stop if a friend in the car asked them to.
· 93% would stop if a parent in the car asked them to.
For more information on the It Can Wait campaign, please visit: ItCanWait.com.
