April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and organizations have joined together to bring a driving safety message to Northwoods students AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol representatives are speaking to students this week at Northland Pines in Eagle River, Three Lakes, Rhinelander and Elcho schools, and being joined by Mercer and Phelps students.
AAA spokesperson Nick Jarmusz says driving and texting are not a safe combination...
"This is part of a partnership between AAA, AT&T and Wisconsin State Patrol to educate young drivers about the dangers of cell phone and smart phone use while behind the wheel. So we'll be visiting several schools over the next couple of days talking with them about the impact these crashes can have and how exactly distractions can impair a driver's response time behind the wheel..."
He says students will see video testimony of real families who have been impacted following crashes caused by distracted driving...
"..and they're really powerful, impactful stories. We'll also be hearing from a member of the Wisconsin State Patrol about what he has seen in the course of their duties. We'll also hear from local state legislators about the importance of having a law on the books and what that means for drivers. We'll also be using AAA's distracted driving simulator..."
That simulator allows students to experience the dangers of smartphone activities behind the wheel. Research from AT&T shows 81 percent of people admit to texting behind the wheel, while 64 percent admit to snapping and viewing photos while driving.
Jarmusz says at highway speeds, if you look down for 5 seconds the vehicle will have traveled more than 100 yards. He says research done by the AAA Foundation says driving impairment lasts up to 27 seconds after a person has looked away from the road.
