Texting and Driving Simulator

With texting and driving becoming a quickly escalating issue, you might wonder, "What is texting and driving really like?" Well, some folks at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have teamed up with AT&T to create the Texting and Driving Simulator! It uses your phone as- well, your phone and your computer screen as your car window. You drive using your keyboard and attempt to get as far as possible while not crashing.

Sounds pretty easy, right? Well, there's another twist. Throughout the drive, you'll receive text messages from various (programmed) people. At the same time, you must regulate speed, pay attention to traffic signals, look out for other cars, and follow your GPS.

Not so easy now, is it? This simulation is a true eye-opener. It shows just how hard texting and driving really is. After you've crashed, a text message will appear with about a paragraph of text. It's a story of someone who had their life taken away or crucially injured because of texting and driving. It truly does show how a few letters can change your life forever.

Now it's your turn to get behind the keyboard. To get started, head on over to itcanwaitsimulator.org and get out your phone. Click the green "Start Simulator" button and type in your email. Then, on your phone, find the email, and click the link inside of it. This syncs your computer to your phone so you can receive text messages while driving. Be sure to have your volume up. Then, hit the road with your keyboard!

Now that you've played it, what do you think? Does this show you how hard texting while driving is? Does it make you rethink what texting and driving is? I hope so...

I hope you've learned about the dangers of texting and driving. Don't think of the simulator as a game, but as a lesson. If you need to send a text message pull over. Remember, you're not just endangering yourself when you text and drive, but you're endangering your passengers, any pedestrians, and drivers around you.