UC Davis police are unveiling an educational campaign this week aimed at curbing distracted driving among young and first-time motorists.
“Statistics show that a lot of teenage accidents are the result of distracted driving,” resulting in 3,154 deaths and 424,000 injuries during 2013 alone, said Ray Holguin, a UCD police officer.
Those distractions included not only cell phones but also other behind-the-wheel activities such as eating and putting on makeup.
“We want to get the message out there and prevent it before it happens,” Holguin said.
With out-of-state and international students comprising a considerable portion of the UCD population, the campaign also seeks to educate those young drivers about California’s rules of the road.
The centerpiece of the effort is the Polaris Slingshot, a unique three-wheeled vehicle — technically a motorcycle — that police hope will serve as a conversation-starter between officers and their target audience, “kind of like a DARE car,” Holguin said, referring to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program at elementary schools.
Planned outreach efforts include officer- or volunteer-staffed information tables at various campus events, including Saturday’s Aggie basketball games at The Pavilion, where officers will officially unveil the campaign on Saturday.
Students and others also will be invited to try on a pair of “It Can Wait” virtual reality glasses, which simulates what driving might look like to a person who is texting or is otherwise distracted, culminating in a vehicle “crash.”
While distracted driving is the main focus of the campaign, it also will address other traffic safety issues such as driving under the influence and bicycle safety, reminding the campus community of services such as the Tipsy Taxi and Safe Rides programs that are available to students at no charge.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene