A student uses the simulator.
BYRON CENTER, Mich. (WZZM)- Several students in Byron Center got a taste of reality Monday afternoon when they were put through a texting and driving simulation.
For 17-year old Kasey Wierzbicki, it ended with a crash. "I did pretty badly, I was going 50mph in a 35, and I ended up rear-ending a taxi that pulled out in front of me."
The simulator is part of the "Reality Check" tour from the PEERS Foundation. The organization focuses on changing teen behavior. Brad Myers says, "Eleven students a week are killed from texting and driving of this peer age group."
In Michigan, it is illegal to text and drive, but teens are still doing it. Byron Center High School Senior Dillon Love says, "I can't name you one person that doesn't text and drive."
Love is one of the students who helped bring the program to the school. A local car dealership provided the Jeep and it was equipped with a simulator. The students brought their own phones. "It was harder than I expected. Especially trying to see what you're writing," says Wierzbicki. She says it was an eye-opening experience that she won't soon forget.
The PEERS Foundation's stop at Byron Center High School was sponsored by Harold Zeigler.
You can find out more about the program by going to the PEERS website.
By Sarah Sell