Everyone hears about not texting and driving because of fatal possibilities. Junior Rohit Kamath is undergoing a study about students driving distracted in hopes to help students not drive distracted. Kamath is partnering with Rice University to help conduct this study.

“I hope one day in the future students will not text and drive or drive with other distractions. With further research maybe we persuade them not to drive distracted,” said Kamath.

The simulation itself is quite simple. The student must have a driver’s license to participate. Done virtually on a smartboard, the driver has a sterling wheel controller to drive the car.

“While the student is driving, I take notes and study how they drive and how they react in certain situations,” said Kamath.

The study can be an eye opener to students by showing how unsafe it can actually be.

“The study is to show how dangerous distracted driving can be. When students realize this maybe they, themselves will stop driving distracted,” said Kamath.

Automobile accidents are one of the leading causes of death in teenagers. Keeping teens away from distractions like their phones while driving gives them a better chance to avoid an accident.

“If the students realize how dangerous distracted driving can be and understand the consequences maybe it can help them keep more attention to the road and their surroundings,” said Kamath.