Mainland Regional High School students are learning the dangers of impaired and distracted driving with a hands-on, video game-like driving simulator brought to the high school thanks to the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers.
The “One Simple Decision” virtual-driving instruction unit will be brought to MRHS on Monday and Tuesday, April 3 and 4.
Funded by a grant from the Honda USA Foundation, the driving simulator enables students to virtually “drive” an on-screen car while their reactions are altered to simulate impaired driving.
When the drivers experience accidents, videos of police and EMTs arriving on the scene provide realistic consequences of drunk and drugged driving, including judges imposing fines and revoking their driver’s licenses.
The HERO Campaign was founded by the family of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott, who was killed by a drunk driver in July 2000, two months after graduating from the United States Naval Academy, where he was named the “Outstanding HERO” of his graduating class.
The Elliott family established the HERO Campaign to prevent drunk driving by promoting the use of safe and sober designated drivers, and spare other families from suffering the loss of a loved one due to drunk driving.
The HERO Campaign promotes its message of safe and sober designated driving in partnership with prevention agencies, high schools, colleges, law enforcement, bars and taverns, and professional sports teams.
For more information on the HERO Campaign, call 609-626-3880 or visit herocampaign.org.
