BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS)– Students at Bluefield High School learned about driving impaired with a DUI Simulator.
It was sent by the state’s alcohol beverage control authority.
Ernest Gilliard, the driver’s education teacher says this lesson needs to be taught now rather than later.
“The earlier you teach it then the more effective it would be. You have to catch them while they’re young so you can mold and formulate the positive attitudes and if we start early then we’re pretty successful,” Gilliard said.
Daniel Pickens, who coordinates the simulator said it’s better to teach students hands-on with this state-of-the-art equipment.
“The simulator raises awareness by basically taking everything and placing it in the kids’ hands because the student is actually in control of the simulation they have the abilty to learn everything first hand without anybody spoon feeding them information,” Pickens said.
The experience was different for Sophomore Zyler Woody.
“I was nervous at the start but it’s a lot harder than what I thought. I thought it was going to be a lot easier. When the person ran into the road, I wasn’t ready for that and the deer but it was pretty fun though,” Woody said.