Best Time to Conduct: Before/After School, During Lunch, or During Safety Event with Additional Safety Outreach
Number of People: 2 students to set up and monitor
The DWI Simulator is available for schools to borrow. Its primary focus is on impaired driving and can simulate what driving with a .17 BAC would look like. In addition to a focus on impaired driving, the simulator could also focus on the dangers of distractions (by having the driver text while driving or answer questions), nighttime driving, speeding, and focus on looking out for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Set-Up:
Items Provided:
Seat and frame
Monitor and speaker unit
Pedals
Steering Wheel
Laptop
Cords for all pieces
Bag for storing accessories
Set up tips:
All cords are color-coded to the port they match with. Follow the set-up instructions included with the simulator and provided by the Regional Rep.
When selecting the settings for the program, only focus on one or two risks at a time, so as not to overwhelm the driver with so many factors. For instance, it’s too much going on if you select alcohol-impaired driving, at night, while raining, with lots of pedestrians crossing the road.
Facilitation:
Invite your peers over to try driving the simulator. You probably won’t have to work that hard to get people wanting to try it because it’s a popular attraction.
Clearly establish a time limit or rule, such as each person can drive for X minutes or until crashing. A time limit will allow for more people to have a turn. We recommend approximately 5 minutes per person, but it can depend on the situation.
The goal of this activity is to educate your peers about the risks of impaired driving (and the other risks if also focusing on them), so try to include that educational component at the end. Talk to them about how their driving performance worsened when simulating a .17 BAC, so it’s important to avoid alcohol or drugs in order to safely control a vehicle.
You could combine the flashcards activity with the simulator, asking participants trivia questions after they complete their turn on the simulator.
Also, consider how to engage the other teens watching and waiting for their turn. You can point out specifics while someone is driving, such as, “Did you see how their reaction time was slower? When you drink and drive, it can take you longer to react to a danger in the roadway, which can increase your likelihood of crashing.” or “Did you see how they are having trouble staying in their lane? That’s because alcohol impairs your motor functions and vision, making it more difficult to stay in the proper lane.”
Don’t Forget:
Make sure to test the program before inviting teens to participate, so you are familiar with how to get the program started and ensure that all the components (steering wheel, pedals, etc.) are working properly.
Adult supervision may be needed if teen participants are not respecting the time limit or are not being respectful of the equipment.
Coordinate with your Regional Rep to return the simulator to TDS upon completion of this activity.
