OHIO COUNTY, KY (WFIE) -
Ohio County high school seniors were able to experience distracted driving firsthand on Friday, but without the danger of actually being on the road.
They were able to do it with their cell phones in hand.
When you first hear the phrase 'D2 Simulator,' you might think it's something out of one of the latest sci-fi films, but it's actually something that's being used to teach students about a very serious issue.
Lots of students recognize the potentially deadly combination of using a cell phone while driving.
"Texting and driving I know for me, personally, is a very big struggle, and I think we're all victims of it. It can be a very harmful thing to teenagers today," said Madison Thomas with the OC Drug Free Club.
"It's pretty big. A lot of people do it. I don't feel comfortable with it, because I'm with friends that do it, and they swerve, and it's very uncomfortable," senior Devan Miller said.
The Distracted Driving Simulator lets students experience real-world situations that they could encounter on the road while using a cell phone.
They say that hands-on experience is key.
"When we actually do the simulator and we actually see what it's like and we actually feel that, then we get, we're like 'Oh, that really is a bad thing. I shouldn't be doing that,'" Thomas said.
Organizers recognize that the invincibility mindset of teenagers can be hard to change.
"If it just affects one individual, we've done our job. Just to let them know, maybe that light bulb goes off," said Brad Franklin with the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.
"It's just important for kids to be aware because I think when we're teenagers, we kind of get the mindset that we are indestructible and we can do anything," Thomas said.
Some students even told 14 News that it was harder for them to engage in distracted driving behaviors while they were using the simulator.
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety says that teens are four times as likely to be involved in some type of distracted driving crash than adults because they're the main users of cell phones in the car.
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Lots of students recognize the potentially deadly combination of using a cell phone while driving.
