Traffic deaths across the United States have increased over the last couple years and a new study released by AAA of Michigan says it’s not just teenagers causing them.
The report says almost 90% of drivers age’s 18-years-old to 24-years-old admitted to running red lights, texting, or even speeding.
At Lansing’s Sexton High School Wednesday, AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign made a stop to help show students the dangers of distracted driving.
“We are always on our phones, all the time,” said Donovan Smith, a senior at Sexton High School.
These high school students may not have their license just yet but are already learning a very important lesson about distracted driving.
“When you look down even for a second you can miss something important,” said Smith. “A deer could fly out or something like that and that’s why I’m too paranoid to do it.”
By using virtual reality, AT&T's “It Can Wait" campaign is touring the state of Michigan in hopes to show firsthand what can happen when taking your eyes off the road.
“We can tell folks all the time how dangerous it is,” said Matt Resch from AT&T. “We can show them statistics but this gives them a chance to put the goggles on their head and actually see a virtual reality texting and driving simulation.”
“It felt like I was actually there,” said Smith. “I wanted to hit the brake pedal and just stop driving but I couldn't control it like I thought I could.”
For Michigan State Police, distracted driving has a much more horrific meaning as troopers typically arrive first to crash scenes.
“Having to notify a family of horrible news of a loved one is possibly lost or severely injured when it could have been prevented in a lot of cases just by putting the phone down,” said Trooper Marco Jones, the Community Service Trooper for Michigan State Police.
Now having experienced the reality, these students hope it stays a virtual one.
“You know I love my friends and my family,” said Smith. “If they were to die texting and driving I would be hurt.”
After students experienced the virtual reality simulator, many took the pledge to never drive while distracted.
AT&T also offers a "Drive Mode” app for smartphones. It silences all alerts on your phone when your car starts going 15 m.p.h. or faster.
It deactivates after the driver slows down for three minutes or so.
The app is available in the iTunes store and the Google Play store.
