Almost 90 high school students had the opportunity to learn about the dangers of distracted driving last week through simulated driving tests in a “Distractology” van parked at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. The van was created based on research conducted by the Human Performance Lab at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and named after what researchers called the science of distracted driving.
One in four teenagers texts every time he or she drives, and being on the phone while driving triples a person’s chance of crashing, according to Distractology statistics.
Students had to have a permit or a license in order to participate, and were able to experience the dangers of texting and driving by actually being asked to do it while driving a computer-simulated car. More often than not, the drive ended in a crash.
“It gives kids a real view of how texting is so distracting,” Vineyard Auto School driving instructor Cheryl Atherton, who helped organize the event, said.
Neal Maciel and Mike Delis of Vineyard Auto School, Mone Insurance, and Arbella Insurance Foundation made the Distractology van’s visit to the Vineyard possible, and say they are committed to getting safe drivers on the road.
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