Last week, students had the opportunity to experience the effects of impaired driving through a simulator and by wearing goggles designed to visually impair the wearer.

As we continue to move towards the holiday season, the consumption of alcohol increases and weather conditions become more dangerous, so accidents increase exponentially.

The Safety Simulator was brought in to help students understand the effects of drinking while driving. While stumbling around and falling while wearing goggles that create visual impairment may be one indicator, driving in a simulator that creates an impaired driving effect has a way to impact students differently.

“Students get to know kind of what it’s like to be behind the wheel when impaired,” Said Mike Wardner from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

So far this school year, according to NASH student resource officer, Officer Ray: “there have been 16 accidents caused by students.” The area and times of which these accidents occur are early in the morning before school until a couple of hours after the end of each school day, between the Starbucks on Perry Highway to the bottom of the hill by Target. This excludes all other accidents that happen during the weekends, or after school hours.

Officer Ray was also quick to inform that “last year there was a total of 32 accidents.” While only three months into the school year, the number of accidents that have now occurred raises some concerns.

While some students were able to drive within the simulator, others also had the opportunity to watch as students would crash the simulated car. According to one of the simulator instructors, Mike Wardner, “the simulator costs about 130,000 and has been proven to be effective when simulating the effects of impaired driving.”

Although the purpose of the simulation was to have newly licensed teenage drivers understand not to drink and drive, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) also pointed out that it more than just drinking and driving that puts motorists at a higher risk.

SADD and Officer Ray were also quick to tell students that being on your phone, drinking, eating, or even changing the radio while driving can all lead to accidents, some of which could be more severe than others. According to the CDC, there were 3,477 deaths due to distracted drivers, an increase from 3,179 in 2014.

At the end of the day, when students were done driving or viewing the simulator, SADD had students fill out an online pledge to not drive while intoxicated. After students signed the pledge, they also handed out candy for students and a small paper that held a review of what to do and what not to do while driving. On the paper, students were warned to be cautious around black ice on roads, to always wear your seatbelt, and to slow down when in icy/wet/ or snowy conditions.

Whether you are a new driver or one that has been driving for several years, it is important for drivers to be safe, and for young adults to make the right decisions. Being a safe driver does not only protect you from getting into accidents, but protects other motorists as well. A safe driver means safe streets for everyone, to get people where they need to go without risk.