by Aaron Brom
ECM Sun Newspapers
It is a scenario all too real for drivers today.
Someone takes their attention off driving for just a second and then disaster strikes, a serious car crash.
In this case one teenager lies dead, while another is arrested for distracted driving.
This is what was presented to Rogers High School students Friday, May 20, during a mock crash.
It’s certainly not a pretty scene, and that is the point of a mock crash. In this case a Rogers student lies dead after a distracted driving crash.
Before the mock crash, students saw a video that indicated 10 percent of all drivers ages 15-19 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of crashes.
And there are 600,000 people using cellular devices while driving at any given daylight moment in America.
A motorist traveling about 55 mph who takes their eyes off the road for five seconds travels the length of a football field without paying attention to their surroundings.
The mock crash ended with one victim being pronounced dead and the other being air rescued to a hospital.
“These firefighters aren’t getting paid to do this – they are volunteers and are here because they want you to be safe,” Rogers High School Resource Officer Jeff Beck told students over the loud speaker.
