Publication select ▼
ROSEVILLE — Students currently enrolled in health class at Roseville High School received several lessons in distracted driving when the International Save a Life Tour came to the school Feb. 24.
Through different activities, students learned about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and being distracted by texting. Most students who participated were ninth and 10th graders and are in one of instructor Mike Cracchiolo’s health courses. The goal in the future is to bring the event to all the students.
Save a Life Tour supplied different pieces of equipment, including two stationary simulators equipped with steering wheels, gas pedals, brake pedals and video screens. One simulator demonstrated the dangers when driving impaired, showing the students how drinking and driving can alter a driver’s reaction time, motor skills and judgment.
The other simulator was used for students to see how dangerous it is to text while driving. Save a Life Tour Marketing Manager Jared Jarvis used a cellphone to send the students text messages. When the students were distracted or impaired, the simulator crashed into poles, other cars, buildings and ran stop signs, and the student’s turn was over.
“You had to drive while you were getting texted by your friend. It was hard to turn and pretty realistic. I didn’t want to crash too soon, so I tried to take it as serious as possible,” ninth grade student Aaliyah Wilson said. “It is beneficial to some people, but on the other hand, some people might think of it as a game. It’s kind of your choice in the end.”
Cracchiolo planned to reinforce the Save a Life Tour exercises in class.
“I’m hoping they learn texting and driving and driving while impaired is a major issue because it’s dangerous,” Cracchiolo said. “This gives them some realistic examples of what it’s like. Most of the kids are engaged. I think they’ve done a great job.”
Daniel Duhaylonsod, a senior, stood in line with the other students to try the simulators.
“This is about distracted driving and unhealthy ways to drive on the road,” he said. “Watching the simulators, I’m seeing high-risk situations. It’s interesting to see how people react to them.”
Duhaylonsod, who has his driving permit, sometimes gets stressed when behind the wheel.
“It requires a lot of focus,” he said. “The second you take your eyes off the road, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Along with the simulators, Save A Life Tour set up a number of monitors and life-size posters that had revolving messages promoting safe driving. One message read, “Stop the Video, Not Your Life.”
“Driver distractions have joined alcohol and speeding as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes,” a film on a video monitor stated. “In a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, 83% of respondents said drivers using cellphones is an ‘extremely serious’ problem.”
According to information from the Save a Life Tour, the National Safety Council estimates 25% of all crashes in a given year involve talking on cellphones.
