'Distracted Driving' Course to Arrive at Portsmouth High This Week

students will receive a real-life lesson about what driving while distracted is really like later this week. 

Carey, Richmond and Viking Insurance will bring the Distractology 101 tour to Portsmouth High School from Sept. 20-24.

Distractology 101 is an interactive program developed by the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation to teach new drivers the dangers of distracted driving. All area teens and new drivers are invited to participate.

According to the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, distracted driving is an epidemic in the U.S. with nearly 5,500 people killed and almost half a million injured in accidents related to distracted driving in 2009.

Distracted driving accounted for 20 percent of all injury crashes during that year. People who text while driving are 23 percent more likely to be in a crash or barely avoid one. 

The course includes a 36-foot-long, neon-yellow mobile classroom outfitted with high-tech driving simulators that give new drivers (usually teenagers) a real-life look at the potentially disastrous effects of distracted driving.

“Many new drivers aren’t getting the message about the dangers of distracted driving and that’s a real problem,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman and president of the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation. “Nearly one in three young adults texts while driving, according to a recent Consumer Reports study. Our goal with Distractology 101 is to create a new generation of safe drivers who don’t think multitasking at the wheel is acceptable.” 

The driving simulator tour is based on Arbella-funded research conducted with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 

During the driving simulator training, teens and other new drivers will face a number of scenarios based on real-world examples that illustrate the dangers of distracted driving. 

Participants are then asked to complete the online portion of the curriculum. At www.DistractU.com, they’ll take a training lesson for reinforcement of what they learned in the classroom and a safe driving pledge in order to complete the training.

To sign up for the free 45-minute training, which is open to all new drivers, (licensed or permitted within three years) contact Carey, Richmond & Viking Insurance at 401-683-3900.  

PHS students may also sign up at the school.