02-05-2025
Ferndale police help students understand dangers of distracted driving
May is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Police in Ferndale, Michigan, organized simulations, such as crash extractions, traffic stops, and drunk driving simulators, to educate Ferndale High School students about the risks of distracted driving.
It's a little break from school day, but for these juniors and seniors at Ferndale High School, however, this break will hopefully change their driving behaviors for the rest of their lives.
As the students walk to various stations, they're met with real-world experiences, from a crash simulator to using what is known as the jaws of life to rescue someone, to the dangers of driving drunk, and to how to act at a traffic stop. We asked a couple of students for their thoughts.
"I was wearing the influence goggles that simulate being under the influence, and I was so out of it," said Ferndale High School junior Luke Shoot. "It was scary."
"Just having that in mind that anything can happen is definitely eye-opening," said Ferndale High School junior Luke Manning.
Hiram Harris, director of youth programs for Ferndale Public Schools, has seen a shift in teenagers' driving habits.
Harris said the importance of this event can't be overstated, especially since the high school prom is around the corner and school is almost out for the summer.
"I think they are a little more apt to lean on mom or dad or a friend for transportation, but that is the number one thing that I see," Harris said. "They are a little bit more, I hate to use the word, they have a little bit more anxiety about getting behind the wheel and taking that responsibility of being a driver."
According to the latest 2022 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly six drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are killed in car crashes every day.
