Chapin HS Tries Distracted Driving Virtual Simulator
Chapin, S.C. (WOLO) — Students at Chapin High School got a first hand experience of the real life dangers of distracted driving to drive home the message it can wait. On Monday morning, senior Baylor Manley sat behind the wheel of AT&T’s distracted driving simulator, which is designed to demonstrate the risks of taking even the smallest glance at a cell phone while behind the wheel. “In this situation, the characters looking down at their phone but you can see what you‘re almost missing and you‘re swerving,” explained Manley. The virtual simulator is part of AT&T‘s ‘It Can Wait‘ campaign to encourage motorists to put the phone down while driving. According to AT&T officials, 7 in 10 drivers use their smartphones to text, check social media, or even e-mail while they are driving. “That’s not the time to do any of that, it can wait,” said Public Affairs Director of the Carolinas, Clifton Metcalf. While in South Carolina it is against the law to text and drive, Representative Nathan Ballentine says it’s important for drivers to understand the penalties of texting and driving can stretch beyond paying a fine. “I believe the penalty is $25, it‘s very small,” said Ballentine. “So it’s not so much breaking the law which obviously is important, it’s the impact and the education that we need to know that it’s more than just breaking the law, it’s risking your life” For Manley, that’s the message brought to reality through the simulator. “I don’t think teenagers realize that it affects other people and not just themselves,” said Manley. “We all need to be more aware of that and be more careful.”
