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Driving simulator at Wayne State University measures danger levels of texting while driving

Posted at 6:33 AM, Apr 26, 2023
and last updated 2023-04-26 10:57:42-04

(WXYZ) — We’ve all seen it, and to be honest, most of us are guilty of being a distracted driver.

At Wayne State University there's a driving simulator measuring just how dangerous distracted driving really is. While in the simulator, you're texted a series of questions you must answer while driving.

Wayne State University Professor Randall Commissaris analyzed my texting and driving using a simulator and emailed me the results and it turns out, I’m pretty bad at it.

"But the reality is, you don’t know what is going to happen when you drift, because you’re drifting because you are not looking," he said.

And I was drifting a lot. According to Randall sometimes it was so bad it replicated the signs of a driver who is drunk or high on drugs while behind the wheel.

Right now, Michigan lawmakers are trying to expand the laws on distracted driving. Currently, the law bans texting and driving but lawmakers are working to include any type of distraction on your phone.

“All of Canada has an absolute ban on any [hand-held] devices, whether it’s a cell phone or texting. So Michigan is going to be catching up," Professor Randall said.