Students at Mahanoy Area get hands-on lessons about distracted driving
Apr. 16—MAHANOY CITY — The 11th graders at Mahanoy Area High School received an important lesson in keeping their eyes on the road by using simulators teaching the dangers of distracted driving.
Thanks to the assistance of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, the students learned in a virtual world of the many ways that distractions can lead to crashes. The LVHN provides the program at no charge.
"We're partnering with Trauma Prevention Coordinator Bill McQuilken at Lehigh Valley, which we have partnered for several years," Mahanoy Area Intervention Specialist Kate Orsulak said. "We've partnered with them for several years and they provide the use of distracted driver simulators.
"We can have several students at a time use the simulators, which shows what it would be like texting and driving, to be pulled over or be involved in an accident, and provides some simulated driving experiences and show the students about what it's like doing something that is not quite right behind the wheel and what the consequences could be."
The simulators include a computer screen, a driving console with a steering wheel, buttons and levers for turn signals and other controls. On the floor are units with "gas and brake" pedals.
Different simulations are possible. In addition to teaching about distracted driving, it can also be set for "impaired driving," which simulates driving while intoxicated.
Assisting were two people from the Highway Safety Network: Executive Director Bob Schaeffer and Community Traffic Safety Project Coordinator Tara DeStefano. Each monitored and helped the students.
The process was to have three students come to a large group instruction room at a time. Each was seated at a simulator, which were separated for social distancing. Each student was instructed on how to use the simulator and select the correct options.
The monitor provided information, such as speed.
The student drove down a street, made turns and avoided the usual signs, posts, curbs and others things found on or along a street.
Every so often, though, a pedestrian would cross the street, a cat would run across, or a passenger would speak, providing a distraction. Sometimes the distraction was a request to contact an employer with a text message.
"The school invited us to bring back our driving simulator back," McQuilken said. "I've been here before, though during COVID we couldn't do any programs. Now we have been getting in. When we put them behind the wheel, only they can control how they drive. They are not set up to make the student fail.
"The object is to drive through the simulator and make it to the very end. Of course, we would rather have them driving on the simulator than out on the road, because they might injure themselves or hurt someone."
Orsulak said that the main reason why high school juniors are chosen is because they are at the age when they could get their driver's license, so it's a good time to teach. Watching the students, some had not spent any time behind a steering wheel yet, while those who did well already had their licenses.
As a simulation ended because of a crash, the simulator calculated what the cost was, either involving an injury, and the cost of fines and repairs to the vehicle, which for many was a big surprise.
Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023
