Simulator at Best Buy discourages phone use while driving

BOARDMAN

After Drew Bromm’s brief attempt at operating a driving simulator while texting ended with a head-on virtual crash, he described the experience as “chaos.”

AT&T brought the simulator to Best Buy in Boardman Friday afternoon to promote the “It Can Wait” Campaign.

The campaign discourages the public from using cellphones and smartphones while driving. As part of the campaign, Ohio students are eligible to win prizes for video scripts about distracted driving. For information, visit http://www.publicsafety.ohio.gov/video_challenge/index.html The deadline is Feb. 29.

Bromm, a teen minister from Columbiana, said he never texts while driving. The simulator, he said, reinforced his conviction that doing otherwise would be dangerous.

“The mind can only focus on so many things at a time,” Bromm said.

Bromm expressed an interest in bringing the simulator to his young congregants. Though teens aren’t the only ones texting and driving, some young people may be overconfident about their ability to use their phones while behind the wheel, Bromm said.

“There are some teenagers that may think they know everything about how to use technology,” Bromm said.

Steve Kristan, director of external affairs for AT&T, noted that phone use while driving appears to prevalent across age groups.

‘When I talk to high schools, I’ll ask, “How many of your parents text while they drive?” A lot of hands go up,” Kristan said.

An AT&T survey found that almost 4 in 10 smartphone users tap into social media while driving, 1 in 10 video-chat and more than 6 in 10 text while they drive.

Kristan noted many people feel a need to respond immediately when they hear the “ping” of a text-message notification. AT&T’s free “Drive Mode” application for smartphones may help alleviate that compulsion, Kristan said.

The app, which draws on the concept of an out-of-office email, will send an automatic reply to any text messages received while the recipient is driving.

This reporter tried out the driving simulator. She only managed to send two text messages before colliding with a virtual parking meter.