The California Highway Patrol kicked off National Distracted Driver Awareness Month with the Distracted Driver Car Rodeo in parking Lot C of the Save Mart Center at Fresno State Tuesday morning.
Students had the opportunity to drive in a real-life simulation of distracted driving while navigating a cone-sectioned course.
The course started with drivers backing up into a stall, then moving forward into cone patterns with a straightaway that led into an “S turn” and brought them back to the start.
Johnny Fisher, a CHP public information officer, designed the course for college students.
“The leading cause of death for teenagers is traffic collisions,” Fisher said. “We want to bring awareness and education to drivers as far as the dangers of the road when it comes to distracted driving.”
The course included many sharp turns, which required the driver to keep both hands on the wheel to maintain control.
“Sometimes you have to make a hard turn left or right and then continue on driving,” Fisher said. “The only way to be able to do that safely is with two hands.”
Participants first rode the course without distractions. After the initial drive, they drove the course again while texting or calling somebody.
“At 65 mph, your vehicle is traveling around 90 feet per second. When you text someone, it’s about four seconds time where you don’t look at the road,” Fisher said. “In four seconds, you’re traveling farther than the length of a football field without paying attention to the roadway.”
The event lasted from 8 a.m. to noon. Informational booths and representatives from the CHP were on site to provide educational materials to participants.
CHP spokesman Axel Reyes said that distracted driving is compared to DUI driving, and distractions that impair good driving can range from eating to listening to loud music.
“Some of those may not be against the law, but they contribute to how easily somebody can get in a crash.” Reyes said.
Organizations involved in the event included the CHP, California Office of Traffic Safety, Save Mart Center, Bulldogs Sports Properties, Fresno State and Fresno Lexus.
“If you’re texting, you are not driving,” Fisher said. “You wouldn’t text blindfolded, so don’t drive blindfolded.”