ROANOKE, Va. – Allstate's fifth annual Reality Rides tour is making a stop at the Go Outside Festival as part of a 50 city tour to raise awareness about distracted driving.
The tour's message is especially important, as safety experts say more than 40,000 people died in car crashes in 2016, making it the deadliest year on America's roads since 2007. A new study reports that more than half of all crashes are caused by phone-related distractions.
The Reality Rides simulator is a stationary vehicle with a virtual reality curved LED screen across the windshield. It displays animated scenarios that drivers often encounter. Using the steering wheel, gas and brake pedals, drivers try to navigate those situations while also attempting to text message, answer phone calls or use in-car technlology like GPS. Afterward, participants receive "traffic citations" that highlight real infractions they've committed.