Wilmington Club Hosts Educational Driving Simulator

It’s a lesson no teenager wants to learn the hard way. So one group is helping teach students about the dangers of texting while driving, but without the dangerous consequences.

Wilmington’s Teen Distracted Reality and Interactive Virtual Education (D.R.I.V.E.) Committee booked a driving simulator at the school for this week.

Each day the simulator bus will park in front of the school from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. to give participants the chance to encounter several different driving scenarios that teach the consequences associated with distracted driving. The group’s motto for the week is “One Simple Decision.”

“This is an important event for students to take part in,” said freshman Candace Cocca. “It will make students more aware of how easy it is to lose control of the wheel, even if only for a second, and how one choice can change your life in an instant.”

There are about 12 students on the Teen D.R.I.V.E. Committee, which is new to the school this year. Cocca and other participants hope those numbers will continue to grow as word spreads about the organization.

“This driving simulator and the few weeks leading up to it have been us kicking off an exciting new group that I am sure will have many events next year,” said Cocca. “The hands on aspect of it is more effective than being lectured by a teach. I think this event will cause more students to think twice about what they are doing behind the wheel.”

Cocca said the group also hung posters around the school in addition to spreading the news of Teen D.R.I.V.E. through word of mouth.

According to statistics, car crashes are the leading cause of death in teenagers in the United States.

“Since no one has ever been involved in a life-threatening car crash at Wilmington High School, everyone assumes it won’t happen to them or their friends,” said Cocca. “Of course, they’re wrong. It could happen to anyone.”