Videogame to Teach Teenagers Dangers of Cell Phone Use While Driving

Teenage motorists are at some of the highest risks for accidents involving distracted driving, because smart phones and social media are such an integral part of their lives. Unfortunately, many anti-distracted driving campaigns that San Fernando Valley car accident attorneys came across seem to be designed with adults in mind. It’s little wonder then that teenage drivers are immune to anti-distracted driving messages. Now, researchers have developed a videogame that they believe is a more effective way of getting the message across to these motorists.

The videogame has been developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota. It is called Distraction Dodger, and involves players trying to deliver pizza in a distracting environment. The players have to deal with distractions on their cell phones, as they navigate traffic obstacles. As the game progresses, drivers receive feedback about their own performance, including the level of distraction, and their driving performance. The Internet-based video game is designed to help teenagers or young adults understand the dangers of driving while distracted.

The game was recently unveiled at the Teen Safe Driving Summit. The researchers believe that the videogame provides teenagers with a teachable moment, helping them understand that there are grave dangers of being involved in an accident when you use cell phones while driving.

What San Fernando Valley car accident lawyers have found very encouraging is that the videogame has received attention from top ranking national transportation safety officials. According to Transportation Secretary LaHood, the game is a valuable new tool that will help fight distracted driving among teenage drivers, and help them learn lessons about distracted driving.

Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States, and distracted driving killed more than 3,000 motorists last year. In a situation like this, we need more effective initiatives to combat distracted driving among teens.