'Distractology 101: A Crash Course on Distracted Driving'

Thanks to Phil Richard Insurance and the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, students at get to experience the dangers of texting while driving next week, but without the very real physical danger.

On Monday, a 36-foot long neon yellow mobile classroom, which is traveling around New England, will arrive at PVMHS. Juniors and seniors will get to try out the Distractology 101 simulator designed to bring young drivers up to speed on the dangers of distracted driving.

Students will learn some new vocabulary as well. Terms such as "textgating," "textident," "snackcident," "smerge," "sender bender" and "fishmail," are used to try and convey what's happening on the road.

The program was created by Arbella based on research and driving simulators developed by the engineering department at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The free 45-minute training session is sponsored by Phil Richard Insurance and runs through Friday. Class begins at 8 a.m. The simulator will also be available again at two school assemblies on Oct. 28 during Red Ribbon Week. Signups for students were available in the school cafeteria.

The goal is to ensure every licensed junior and senior gets to test it out.

"Our agency is committed to serving our community and we are very proud to be bringing this program to Peabody High School... Teens will get firsthand experience on how distractions interfere with their ability to react on the road, see hidden hazards and avoid accidents, all while safely behind the wheel of the driving simulator," said Peabody resident Phil Richard in a press release.

Richard said clips of students participating in the simulation will be shown at the Oct. 28 assemblies, along with a video of Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics using the simulator and a presentation from someone personally affected by texting and driving.

"Distracted driving accidents are often some of the most dangerous and yet they are entirely preventable," said Richard.

A 2007 survey conducted by AAA found that 46 percent of teens interviewed admitted to texting while driving and 51 percent said they talked on their cell phone while behind the wheel. The study also indicated that distractions from sending text messages in particular could be just as dangerous as driving drunk.

Phil Richard Insurance has created a Facebook event for the week and you can find more information about the simulator at www.distractu.com.