On April 29 and 30, Salisbury students took part in distracted-driving awareness activities as part of an annual safety event promoting good decision-making behind the wheel.
The two-day event, organized by the STARs club, included the SIDNE car for seniors on April 29 and driving simulators for juniors on April 30. Unfortunately, not all seniors were scheduled for the SIDNE car due to time constraints; however, time slots were available to those who wanted to sign up. Both activities ran throughout the school day, with students attending at assigned times based on their schedules to avoid class disruptions.
The SIDNE car, owned by the Salisbury Police Department and coordinated by Officer Nothstein, allowed the students to experience the effects of impaired driving under supervision. The activity took place in the upper student parking lot. As students returned to the building, they participated in the talk-with-chalk activity, in which they signed their names in chalk on the sidewalk, pledging to drive safely.
On April 30, juniors drove distracted driving simulators set up in the school gym. The driving simulators, provided by Lehigh Valley Health Network and Jefferson Health, demonstrate the effects distracted driving has on reaction time and awareness on the road using computer-based scenarios.
Mrs. Butterbaugh, the advisor for the STARs club, says that the club plans these events a year in advance. Juniors are prioritized for the driving simulator since they are new drivers, while seniors are offered other things each year, such as the SIDNE car or the Share the Road experience.
Mrs. Butterbaugh and student officers in STARs believe that the simulators leave lasting impressions, helping students really understand the risks of impaired or distracted driving.
She said, “The reactions of students when they leave the simulators show that they are learning about their driving and they leave more aware of safe driving practices than when they arrived.”
One of STARs’ student officers, Leimarie Velilla, said, “[This event] challenges others to take on a whole new perspective of our ‘why?’”
Mrs. Butterbaugh said, “If it helps one student drive safer, then it’s worth it.”
