Saturday Event Simulates Dangers of Distracted Driving

An event 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday (July 23) will let participants drive a special virtual car that simulates dangerous driving situations such as unexpected obstructions and sudden maneuvers by other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The event is being touted by public safety officials as a great way to teach all drivers—particularly young ones—about the dangers of distracted driving.

The educational workshop is being presented by StreetSafe Driving Academy, the Ocean City Police Department and the Casey Feldman Foundation. It takes place in the parking lot outside the Ocean City Free Public Library at 1735 Simpson Avenue.

"Summer is the deadliest season for teen drivers, and crowded shore towns with constant congestion and pedestrians can make an already-tough driving environment even worse," Ocean City Police Capt. Steven Ang said.

"In an effort to educate teens and adults about the importance of driving safely and the dangers of distracted driving, StreetSafe joins the OCPD Traffic Safety Unit and the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation, which honors Casey Feldman, a Springfield, PA, teen who was struck and killed by a distracted driver in Ocean City during the summer of 2009.

StreetSafe's Drive Square Simulation System allows participants to drive in virtual reality by wearing computerized goggles while operating the controls of a special Subaru vehicle.

For a fee, StreetSafe is offering driving lessons at the Jersey Shore this summer in towns that include Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Margate and Ventnor. Instructors are off-duty police officers. Call 856-229-7257 for more information.

The schedule of events on Saturday includes the following:

• 9 a.m. kickoff in the library parking lot
• Remarks from Sgt. Brian Hopely, Supervisor of the Ocean City Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit
• Remarks from Meg Kramer, founder of StreetSafe. Kramer will discuss StreetSafe’s mission of driver safety and how their Drive Square virtual simulator works. She will also describe the day-long raffle -- with the winning prizes being free driving lessons with New Jersey State Police officers as driving instructors.
• Remarks from Joel Feldman and Dianne Anderson, parents of Casey Feldman. They will then show a video about Casey.
• 9:45/10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Event
• Drive Square virtual driving simulator demonstrations for any teens and adults who want to try it (For an idea of what this looks like, check out a video here)
• Driving lesson raffle giveaways announced every hour
• Petition-signing by attendees to not drive distracted