Allstate insurance is driving home the dangers of distracted driving by using a simulator.
The company is on a 50 state tour to show the dangers of using a phone behind the wheel, and they stopped at the University of Arizona on November 2nd.
Reality Rides is a simulator that uses an L.E.D. screen to recreate road conditions while having "drivers" try to text, answer phone calls, and use in-car technology like GPS.
After the simulation, drivers are given "citations" for actual traffic infractions they would have committed if the simulation was real.
Kieth Duncan of Allstate said if a driver is going 55 miles per hour and looks down for five seconds that's the equivalent of driving the length of a football field completely blind.
"Well this is an actual car and we have it hooked up as a simulator like a video game. So, you get in the car and it works just like a regular car but then we ask you to text and drive," Duncan said. "It's very realistic. As a matter of fact, some people are very affected by what they learn and actually having an accident while texting and driving."
Pima County passed a hands-free ordinance in 2017.
A ticket for distracted driving will cost drivers $100.
