3 days ago
Arrive Alive Tour shows local students the consequences of impaired driving
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Students in the area are learning the consequences of impaired driving.
Police say no one should ever drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Chicopee students got to experience a simulation of what could happen if they do just that.
Daily, across the country, more than 30 people die in crashes related to drunk driving. That's one person every 42 minutes. At Chicopee Comprehensive High School, dozens of students got to try a virtual experience showing the consequences of driving distracted or under the influence.
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'We have sensors on the gas pedal brakes and steering wheel,' said Arrive Alive Tour event coordinator Jalen Burress. 'They'll feel like a delayed reaction from the steering and brakes because it's trying to simulate drivers that are impaired or distracted and are going to react slower to what's on the road.'
By putting on a set of special VR glasses, students got to see what it was like to drive under the influence, feeling distracted and in danger on the roads. Experts say if you feel different, you drive different. Organizers used the opportunity to educate students and bring awareness to the issue.
'It definitely feels like you should never do it, because if you actually get in a car accident you can severely hurt yourself and other people, and you would never want that to happen,' said student Griffin Stefanik.
'I experienced that, I went way over the speed limit and I didn't mean to,' said student Emily Flurry. 'It was hard to control it, like the steering wheel, and still not hit anything and stay on the right side of the road.'
Chicopee police and the Arrive Alive Tour plan to speak to more high schoolers on Wednesday and Thursday about the dangers of driving distracted and under the influence.
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