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Getting drivers to focus on the road

Getting drivers to focus on the road
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According to federal regulators distracted driving is getting to be as bad, or worse, than drunk driving.
AT&T has been pushing the slogan "it can wait" to get people to put their phones down.

Tuesday morning the company showed off a new simulator designed to get the point across even more. FOX 47's Alani Letang was there and tells you why the company is so involved.

"What stuck to me the most is when I looked right before the impact all I could see was the top of this young man's head, and I knew he had not paid attention, he did not slow down, he hit me full impact," said David Lewis, AT& T President in Michigan.

Three years ago Lewis was waiting to turn left at an intersection when a distracted driver hit him head-on. He said there was not enough time to make a move and he had to brace himself.,

"I might not be here today, so it's real, it happens," said Lewis. Fortunately, Lewis and the other driver were able to walk away from the crash.

"There is not a driver out there, including myself, that doesn't deal with distracted driving on a regular basis," said Blain Koops, Michigan Sheriffs' Association CEO/Executive Director.

This is one of the reasons why AT&T began the "It Can Wait" campaign in 2010.  The company travels the country with a virtual simulator which places you behind the wheel of distracted driving situations. It also shares story after story of heartbreak.

"It has different types of representations of people who have unfortunately deceased," said Lewis.

Experts said driving with devices in your hand is becoming the norm. But people are doing more than texting behind the wheel, they could be looking at papers, or fixing their makeup. All of those things are like wearing a blindfold over your eyes while trying to drive.

"We don't need that stuff for the 20 minutes that we are in the car, we can answer that when we get back," said Koops.

Since the launch of the campaign, AT&T said it's inspired more than 23 million people to pledge to never engage in distracted driving.  They're hoping this cube raises that number.

AT&T has an app that will auto-reply to anyone who texts you when you're driving.

It's also a good idea to put your destination into your phone's GPS before you leave instead of deciding you need directions halfway there.