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Distracted driving simulator in College Station aims to improve driving habits across Texas

Posted at 10:44 PM, Feb 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-04 23:44:38-05

COLLEGE STATION, TX — Virtual reality is helping improve people's driving habits in College Station.

Texas A&M AgriLife aims to make driving simulation more realistic with the help of the Passenger Safety Project.

People who have used the simulator say it's like being in a real car, complete with a vibrating phone as one of the distractions.

"When they're driving the simulator again, once they receive a text message or whatever, it's just half a second is all it takes, and they're crashed, and they're looking up, "What happened?" They have no idea what happened. It happens that quick, so that's another thing I hope they'll take away from this driving experience," said Mike Guidry, Program Coordinator for Texas A&M AgriLife.

The Passenger Safety Project is funded by TxDOT.

The ultimate goal? To decrease the number of crashes on Texas roads.