Let's make a (driving) deal
<p>A driving simulator that educates people of what it's like to drive impaired will be at the North Idaho Fair Friday through Sunday. The Insurance Shoppe exhibit will also have drug and alcohol impairment goggles to try on all five days of the fair.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Teens, here is your chance to learn what it feels like to be impaired behind the wheel, but in a safe environment.
The Insurance Shoppe, an independent insurance agency in Post Falls, will present at the North Idaho Fair, a fun, interactive exhibit called Time2Drive, sponsored by Allied Insurance.
Teens and others will be able to go behind the wheel of a driving simulator Friday through Sunday. They can also try on "Fatal Vision" alcohol and drug impairment goggles and sign a safe driving commitment with their parents all five days of the fair.
"We want to create an awareness of the effects of alcohol on driving," said Aimee Delavan, president of the Insurance Shoppe. "Oftentimes people don't really understand how dangerous distracted driving is until something happens to them."
Through the goggles, fair attendees will see three levels of being intoxicated.
With the driving simulator, attendees will react to different situations of being on the road.
"The goggles and driving simulators are awareness tools," Delavan said.
Teens and their parents will also have the opportunity to sign and fill out a commitment form associated with safe driving.
"You can even determine what the punishment will be if you don't fulfill the commitment," Delavan said.
Plastic thumb bands will also be given out to remind drivers about the dangers of being impaired.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in the age group.
"All of us at the Insurance Shoppe and Allied Insurance have the same goal - to help teens be safer on the roads," Delavan said. "Time2Drive is a great way to reinforce basic tips that every teen and parent should know.
"We are hoping that through education and a simulated event we can prevent them from having to learn from a real-life incident."