During Teen Driver Safety Week, students at Seminole Ridge Community High School got a hands-on look at the dangers young drivers face on the road. In a driver’s education class, they wore fatal vision goggles that simulate impairment and tried walking a straight line, balancing on one foot and tossing a ball to each other.
Alexia Walker, a 10th grader, said everything felt swirly and woozy, and that the curved line was hard to stay on. Alera Park, an 11th grader, said most of her classmates drifted off the line, which showed her how quickly a driver can end up in trouble.
Teacher Scott O’Hara said he hopes the exercise makes students think twice about driving under the influence and distracted driving. He said distracted driving is now the leading killer of teens in car crashes and urged students to keep their phones out of reach while behind the wheel.
Driver’s education is free at several Palm Beach County schools during the school year, after school and in the summer. Parents pay only for the teen’s learner’s permit at the DMV. The Palm Beach County School District released a list of schools offering the course during the day and after school. Summer programs will be announced early next year, the district said.
