According to AT&T research, 95 percent of drivers disapprove of distracted driving, yet more than 70 percent of drivers admit to using their smart phones behind the wheel.
To combat these statistics, AT&T invited the community to attend their Texting and Driving 3D virtual reality simulator at the County Courthouse annex, located in the Bank of America building.
How it works: you hop in the car, put the headset on and then you’re off, driving around in a virtual town. Your driver is constantly checking their smart phone, narrowly dodging other cars and pedestrians, until the very end when you’re crashed into.
The idea is to show how easy it is to place yourself in a dangerous situation, even if you glance down at your phone for a couple of seconds.
“It will bring back remembrance of how you actually were in a vehicle and was distracted and luckily you didn’t have a crash, but I think if you come out and try the simulation it will change your behavior when you’re in a vehicle,” said Karen Brown, who gave the simulation a try. “It did give an idea of the different scenarios that can happen when you’re out on the road or a city street.”
Since it kicked off in 2010, the nationwide “It Can Wait” campaign has inspired 15 million pledges to not drive distracted. The campaign began its first stop in its tour through Texas in Lubbock with hopes of encouraging more folks to put an end to distracted driving.
“It’s something that it can stop with personal responsibility. When you’re driving, what is worth your life? Is it that glance to your phone, or respond to an email from your boss? Is that worth your life? It’s not,” said Christopher Johnson, spokesperson for the campaign. “Distracted driving it’s an epidemic , seven in 10 people will admit to using their cell phones behind the wheel.”
The simulation will be on display and is free to try out through 3:30 p.m. at the Lubbock County Courthouse annex (Bank of America building).
If you’d like to get a glimpse of what it’s like from home, you can visit itcanwait.com and take the pledge.
