• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

We've all heard the warning – ‘Don’t text and drive!’

On Friday, some folks got to see the dangers, first hand thanks to some high-tech goggles.  AT&T’s virtual reality headsets work with real cars, so people can really get the experience, the closest to reality, when it comes to texting and driving.

I personally did fine at first, but as soon as an obstacle came into the picture, my reactions were delayed, and I did soon get into a virtual car crash.
   
“Texting and driving is as bad as drinking and driving, and our message is simple, it can wait. Young people, the minute they get a text, they want to respond, but it can wait,” said Timi Aguilar, AT&T Spokeswoman.

Meridian police said there are three elements that affect a driver whose texting.

First, there’s the person’s mental capacity, which is diminished when texting. Drivers tend to think about other things and are not paying close attention to the road. Then, there is a person’s visual ability, where it’s harder to see things around you. Last, but not least, a person’s physical ability is handicapped. The phone in your hand interferes with the driver’s ability to properly steer the vehicle.

However, some bad habits are just hard to break, so AT&T also has an app called ‘DriveMode,’ which disables your phone's texting ability, when you're behind the wheel.

You can take a pledge NOT to text and drive, by heading over to ‘itcanwait.org.’ Just click on the “Pledge” button. Then, you can spread the word -- via Facebook, Twitter or email.