Students at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus learned about the dangers of distracted driving with a simulation provided by the Georgia State Patrol Department of Public Safety.
In partnership with UNG Public Safety, Live Well UNG Peer Health Educator and Campus Recreation and Wellness, GSP gave students a taste of some of the challenges 18-wheeler truck drivers face while on the road. The department brought the simulator to the campus on Sept. 16 during the school’s ‘‘Coffee with a Cop’’ event.
The simulation allowed participants to step inside a semi-truck and sit at a console mimicking a steering wheel and pedals. Once students buckled up, they were put through three driving scenarios from the perspective of a driver operating an 18-wheeler and tasked with driving while keeping all other cars on the simulated roadway safe.
Courtney Hause with UNG Public Safety explained the exercise aimed to bring awareness to the safety concerns that come with sharing the road with larger vehicles.
“The conversations with law enforcement after students do things like this are really awesome,” Hause said. “When they move through the simulator, they learn new things about driving safety, and then they get to come back out [of the simulation] and talk with our members of public safety or just talk with us in general about what they learned and how cool it was.”
Some scenarios students were exposed to included driving in rain and snow, navigating narrow roads and watching out for other vehicles. The simulation demonstrated how difficult it can be for truck drivers to slow down or stop for other vehicles, move over in a lane and make turns at traffic lights.
Nearly 60 students participated in the exercise. Among them was freshman Nahum Bearden, who shared his lessons from the activity.
“It was a pretty good experience. I’d say the main takeaways are to leave more room for trucks, especially if you’re driving and also be mindful and aware of your surroundings,” – Nahum Bearden, Freshman at the University of North Georgia
The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has reported yearly increases in fatalities from crashes involving large trucks throughout the state. In 2018, the department recorded 192 fatalities. By 2022, the number had increased to 265, according to the department’s traffic data website. Additionally, the department reported in 2023 that a larger percentage of crashes involving large trucks occurred on interstates, with operators losing control as the top cause of an accident. Tractor trailers, single panel trucks, large pickup trucks, large cargo vans, single-unit trucks and other combination trucks were included in the office’s definition of a “large truck.”
The UNG Department of Public Safety is set to host several safety events throughout the month, including Rape Aggression Defense Classes and Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events.
To contact the department for on-campus emergencies, call 706-864-1500.
