Nearly 400 students at Three Lakes High School Tuesday learned about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving as part of AT&T’s, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol’s “It Can Wait” campaign. The event featured a distracted driving simulator that allowed students to experience the dangers of smartphone use behind the wheel. Theresa Nelson of the Department of Transportation says students need to understand the consequences of distracted driving.
“…when you take your eyes away from the road for even five seconds, you travel about the length of a football field. So if you think about that, it’s like you’re driving blind. The other thing is when you’re texting and driving you also have a tendency to swerve and you’ll look up and kind of catch yourself which you can overcorrect and cause a crash..”
State Patrol Sergeant Bryan Wrychas says people should keep their phones off or out of sight…
“…composing a text or email is a $187.90 with 4 points. If it’s a probationary person or instructional license doing it, it’s $162.70 with four points. And a second offense goes up more to $200.50. Yeah there are some monetary penalties and points, but in the end it’s about safety.”
Reports from 2015 show there were 155 accidents in Oneida County as a result of texting while driving; 40 in Forest, 67 in Vilas and 115 in Lincoln County.
Students at Three Lakes signed a pledge to keep their eyes on the road and not on their phones.
