Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko addressing the students. Photos by Bernie Goldstein
On September 1, a virtual reality 360° driving experience showing the potentially deadly consequences of smartphone distracted driving was held at Buena High School, 5670 Telegraph Road.
The event included a simulator car, virtual reality gear, signage and a digital education display. The It Can Wait simulator was accompanied by AT&T It Can Wait campaign ambassadors. This is similar in some ways to how 360 provides VR training for workplace safety purposes, except this time the focus is entirely on the driving.
AT&T partnered with the Ventura Police Department and Buena High School to bring awareness about the dangers of smartphone distracted driving with its virtual reality simulator. This is a great idea as the number of people hiring a car accident attorney is rising dramatically and one of the predicted reasons is the increase in people texting and driving.
Ventura Mayor Nasarenko told the students, “Six thousand individuals die every year because of distracted driving. That would be like the entire student body of Buena High School vanishing along with two other high schools of the same size. So don’t send that text, answer the phone, or put mouse whiskers on the Snapchat photo while you’re driving. Remember, It can wait.” This really puts the problem into perspective; those injured by a careless driver may want to pursue legal action against them through the likes of Virginia Car Accident Attorneys.
The students learned that:
Distracted driving is anything that takes a driver’s eyes or mind off the road or hands off the steering wheel -especially texting and cell phone use, whether hands-free or handheld. Who’s doing it? Most drivers. It has been estimated that, at any one time, over 10 percent of drivers are using a mobile device. This also includes truck drivers with most truck accidents being caused by distracted driving. Truck accidents rarely have a happy ending and those who have been in such accidents ending up in the hospital for a lengthy amount of time. If you have found yourself in such a situation, you might want to get in touch with a law firm similar to these Tate Law Offices who might be able to help with getting compensation for your accident.
According to the California Office of Traffic and Safety:
- 80 percent of vehicle crashes involve some sort of driver inattention.
- Up to 6,000 people nationwide are killed in crashes where driver distractions are involved.
- Talking on a cell phone or texting is the number one source of driver distractions.
- Texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds, far enough to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph. Most crashes happen with less than 3 seconds reaction time.
What can a driver do? They can obey the law. They can also work to eliminate distractions:
- Never text and drive.
- Turn off the phone when you get behind the wheel.
- Don’t text or call someone when you know they are likely to be driving.
- Make a pact with family, spouse, and caregivers never to use the phone in the car.
- No eating or drinking while driving.
- Don’t program your GPS, MP3 player or other devices while driving.
- Pull over and stop to read maps.
- No grooming, no reading, no watching videos.
- If something falls to the floor, pull over before trying to reach it.
