Portable simulator shows distraction a danger to driving

A new technology highlighting the risk of driving distracted will be available for South Australia’s regional school students.

Police hope lives all over the state will be saved by a new portable driving simulator that allows users to experience the dangers of driving while distracted.

The device, which includes virtual reality goggles, a steering wheel and a screen, arrived at the Police Road Safety Centre in Thebarton this week.

It will be taken to high schools in rural communities to warn teenagers about the deadly consequences of using their phone while driving.

Police already have a larger simulator, which operates like an arcade game and has been used in road safety sessions with school students since 2014.

But the latest device allows police to take their road safety message to young drivers in country regions.

Last year, more than 11,000 motorists were stopped by police in relation to distraction offences, mostly for using mobile phones.

Demonstrating the two simulators to The Advertiser, Traffic Support Branch officer-in-charge Superintendent Bob Gray said distraction was the leading cause of crashes.

“So far this year, of the 53 deaths on our roads, we’ve attributed 42 per cent of the people to being distracted so it’s a significant cause of serious injuries and road deaths,” Supt Gray said.

“We hope that these demonstrations encourage people to put their phones in the boot or the glovebox or anywhere out of reach.”

Superintendent Bob Gray, Senior Sergeant Susan O'Connor and David Penberthy, testing out the driving simulator which has been used at road safety seminars. Pic: Morgan Sette

Police have used their larger simulator – which operates like an arcade race game with screens and a steering wheel – in road safety sessions with Year 10 students and their parents and at the RAA’s annual Street Smart High event since 2014.

The new portable device, which has been fitted with police driving simulation software, will give officers further reach into regional and Adelaide high schools.

The driving software simulates different modes, such as driving at night or being a new learner.

“It’s not a simulator teaching people how to drive, it’s a simulator to emphasise the risk of being distracted while driving and how lethal that can be,” Supt Gray said.

“Enforcement is one way police have of getting that message through, but these driving simulators are another option.”