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4 1 | Thursday, December 8, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com D istracted driving s im u la to r is a real eye-o pen er by Tim Whitnell Metroland West Media A high-ranking Halton police officer crashed her Vehicle' once and had trouble keeping it on the road the entire time -- and she might have been the best driver of the bunch, and by a good margin. Staff-Sgt. Crystal Kelly of the Burlington Community Mobilization Bureau was one of several dozen members of the public who volunteered to get behind the wheel of a driving simulator provided by the DriveWise organization. The event was part of Halton police' s focus on distracted, aggressive and impaired driving during last month' s Crime Prevention W eek in Ontario). The simulator was set up just outside the food court in Burlington Mall recently officials at the mall admitted such -- is that the simulator doesn't really feel or drive like any vehicle I've operated. It had spongy brakes that needed to be applied longer than usual to stop and a very loose, floating steering wheel that is very sensitive to the slightest correction in direction. Boosting chances of accident Throw in parked cars with doors opening as you pass and people and vehicles crossing against red lights at intersections, things that can happen in real life, and you can see how distracted driving increases the chances of having a serious accident. "It' s a very important message they're bringing forward," said officer Kelly "My moment of inattentiveness and you see what can happen," she said. "People try to hide it (cell phone) in their lap," Sgt. Ryan Snow of the Halton Regional Police Traffic Services Unit said at the demonstration. "I definitely see it myself when I'm in a larger (police) vehicle and (sitting) up higher. They've got the phone down here," which prompts some police services to utter the refrain "crotches kill." "People will say, `I'm not talking on the phone,' Snow said of excuses given by some drivers. Video screen The technology utilizes a set of controls and a video screen to provide a simulation of the hazards created when someone attempts to use a phone to text and drive. This reporter gave it a try and failed miserably, crashing several times and having the vehicle all over the road during a minute or so of trying to text. W hat I wrote wasn't intelligible. One criticism of the test -- DriveWise DriveWise partnered with Halton Police using a DriveWise simulator set-up inside Burlington Mall to give shoppers a chance to see how distracted driving is so dangerous. Here, Oakville's Soli Fancy, tries his hand behind the wheel with smartphone in hand, under the watchful eyes of DriveWise chief instructor Steve Overend. | Graham Paine/Metroland see It on p.42 CANADA' S LARGEST REGI ONAL MONTHLY PARENTI NG PUBLI CATI ON Calling All Food and Drink Businesses! SBESSnKMH T O R O N T O FOOD + DRINK M ARKET M ARCH 3 1 - A P R IL 2 ,2 0 1 7 TORONTO CONGRESS CENTRE Reach over 10,000 food lovers who are primary household shoppers looking to sip, savour and learn from the best in the industry. B o o ky o u rs p o tino u rF e a t u r e dP a v illio n s For more information please contact us cjacobs@ m etroland.com 289-293-0710 TO foodanddrinkm arket.com C elebrating 2 5 years