Front PageHome | Archives | Vol.1, Issue 23 | December 6, 2011

Meredith Event Aimed to Stop
Dangerous Driving Practices

Arrive Alive Tour

UNITE’s Arrive Alive Tour 2011 Program to Educate on Dangers of Texting While Driving and Drunken Driving visited the Meredith campus on November 15, 2011. More than 120 students, faculty and staff attended.

 

The Arrive Alive program uses a high-tech simulator, impact video and other resources to educate students about the dangers of texting while driving. The simulator allows students to experience in a controlled environment the potential consequences of distracted or drunken driving.

 

The Association of Meredith Commuters helped sponsor the event, and provided a banner-sized pledge for students to sign, promising to make good decisions while driving. The pledge asked signers to promise to make their car “a no texting and no drinking zone.”

 

AMC President Pooja Ghai, ’13, said the event was a way for her organization to “make a difference as an organization and bring all students together.”

 

“It’s a good idea for students to experience the effects of texting or drinking on the ability to drive, to see what it is like without the danger,” Ghai said. She was the first student to do the driving simulation, lasting just 10 seconds before hitting a parked car.

 

After each simulation, an Arrive Alive staff member would detail the consequences had the accident been real. These included possible jail time, an increase in insurance premiums, the cost of legal fees or car repairs, and losing the driver’s license.

 

Associate Professor of Communication Carla Ross brought students from her PRISM class to the event. PRISM courses at Meredith emphasize critical thinking, and the Arrive Alive simulation’s emphasis on the dangers of texting and driving was relevant to Ross’s class.

 

“We cover interpersonal netiquette, including ways to make wiser choices in technology use, so this simulation was a great opportunity,” Ross said.

 

The event was also sponsored by the Dean of Students, Athletics, Counseling Center, Student Leadership and Service, First Year Experience, Residence Life, Commuter Life and Diversity Programs, and Health Services.