Simulator gives teen drivers a lesson to live by

LYNN – I didn?t see the red pickup until it was too late – but it didn?t matter – I was already swerving across both traffic lanes, one hand on the steering wheel, while I texted with the other hand.Fortunately for me, the steering wheel was attached to a driving simulator, and the pickup was an image displayed on a video screen.In any minute during the day, about 660,000 drivers across the country are texting or talking on hand-held devices, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics cited in an Arbella Insurance Group press release.Beginning in 2009, Arbella spent $1.5 million to educate younger, inexperienced drivers about the dangers of texting while driving. The firm?s main teaching tool is a 36-foot-long trailer painted with a big “Distractology” logo and outfitted with two driving simulators.Sophanouc Ross – a licensed driver since last year – strapped into one of the simulators on Monday and steered the machine with one hand while manipulating the brake and gas pedal. He negotiated turns and curves on a road displayed on three screens until Distractology tour manager Nick Romani told Ross to talk on his phone and steer.?The motorcycle came out of nowhere,” Ross said by way of explaining the simulated collision he experienced.Ross is a Lynn English High School senior and one of about 90 students who will get a chance this week to try out the Distractology simulator for 35 minutes. His parents have talked to him about driving safety, including no texting, but Ross admits his phone plays a prominent role in his life.Local insurance agent Rick Wood arranged Arbella to bring its trailer to English. He said 15 percent of his customers are inexperienced drivers like Ross, and he is worried about teen motorists texting behind the wheel.?That blending of technology and driving is not a good thing,” Wood said.Romani hands students a $15 gas pump certificate after they finish the simulated driving, but before they leave the trailer, he shows them a short video emphasizing the dangers facing drivers who take their eyes off the road.The video emphasizes the “2/6” rule: Drivers who take their eyes off the road for two seconds during any six-second period sharply increase their accident risk. The video urges drivers to keep hand-held devices “out of reach.”English Principal Thomas Strangie said school health courses also drum safe driving messages into the school?s 1,639 students, but he knows a few lectures and simulated driving are not going to keep phones of teens? hands.?You can?t stop talking about it; if it saves lives, it?s well worth it,” Strangie said.