Lawley To Host Distracted Driving Simulator For Lancaster High School Students To Show Dangers Of Texting While Driving Or Driving Drunk
Lawley To Host Distracted Driving Simulator For Lancaster High School Students To Show Dangers Of Texting While Driving Or Driving Drunk
Mobile, Realistic Driving Simulations Give Teens and Other New Drivers Real-Life Lessons on Distracted Driving With Texting Or Under The Influence
Buffalo, NY July 20th, 2015 – Striving to help reduce dangerous driving habits, Lawley will host several high school students from Lancaster Central School’s Academy of Finance to experience distracted driving through a simulator on Wednesday, July 22nd from 12-1 p.m. in Lawley’s Buffalo office. Using a steering wheel and brake pedals just like operators would do in a real vehicle, the defensive driving simulator will highlight what it is like to drive distracted while texting while driving or driving drunk.
Distracted driving, especially with teenage drivers, is a major problem in the United States. According to distraction.gov, in 2013, 3,154 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. This represents a 6.7 percent decrease in the number of fatalities recorded in 2012. Unfortunately, approximately 424,000 people were injured, which is an increase from the 421,000 people who were injured in 2012. 10% of drivers of all ages under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
“Countless new drivers do not understand all of the dangers of distracted driving, which is a growing issue,” said Bill Lawley Jr., managing partner of Lawley, a Top 100 insurance and employee benefits broker based in Buffalo, NY. “20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving, according to a recent University of Michigan transportation research Institute study. We want to continue to educate safe drivers who don’t think distracted driving is acceptable.”
The driving simulator is made possible by the generosity of the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Western New York (IIAAWNY).
“We are thankful for IIAAWNY for investing in education to help build better driving habits for teen and adult drivers. The more we help educate everyone on the dangers of distracted driving, the safer our roads will be for everyone,” said Debbie Junkin, Lawley Training Specialist and IIAAWNY Board of Director.
About Lawley
Lawley is a privately-owned independent regional insurance firm specializing in property, casualty and personal insurance, employee benefits and risk management consulting and ranked among the 100 Largest Insurance Brokers in the U.S., according to Business Insurance magazine.
For 60 years, Lawley’s team of over 300 associates have developed customized property, casualty, surety and benefits insurance programs for businesses and municipalities of all sizes and personalized protection for individuals and their families. Lawley is consistently recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by Buffalo Business First.
Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Lawley has branch offices across New York State in Amherst, Batavia, Elmsford, Fredonia, Melville and Rochester along with Darien, Connecticut and Florham Park, New Jersey. To find out more, visit lawleylnsurance.com.
