Ocean City High Offers DUI Simulator As Prom Nears

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City High School juniors and seniors recently used an impaired driving simulator as administrators stepped up prom safety efforts ahead of the school’s May 16 event.

The program let students experience how alcohol impairment and distracted driving can affect reaction time and decision-making behind the wheel.

According to the school district, students took turns using the One Simple Decision computer program, which asks them to drive through a virtual town while their responses are altered to resemble intoxication. The district said the effects typically lead students to run through stop signs and traffic lights and can cause virtual crashes. The unit also includes a distracted driving module showing how a brief look at a phone while driving can become deadly.

“We are excited to offer this next-generation driving simulation,” said OCHS Principal Dr. Wendy O’Neal. “It will serve as a cautionary reminder for them to be safe and responsible drivers.”

The simulator sessions were offered through a partnership involving the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ocean City Police Department and NJM Insurance, which provided funding for the simulator. The effort comes as students prepare for prom by making plans with friends and arranging formal wear and appointments for the night.

“At first, students enjoy the fun and challenge of the simulator, until they experience problems and realize that drinking and driving is no joke and can have serious consequences,” said Bill Elliott, founder and chairman of the HERO Campaign, which is named in memory of his son John. According to the district, John Elliott was killed by a drunken driver after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in July 2000.

The district said the HERO Campaign works with high schools and colleges, bar and tavern owners, law enforcement and professional sports teams to promote responsible driving. More than 100,000 motorists have taken the campaign’s online HERO Pledge to be designated drivers, according to the district. The campaign has also wrapped police cars from 50 departments throughout New Jersey with the message, “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver.”

“We are proud and honored to be part of the HERO Campaign’s efforts to save lives by offering this DUI prevention simulator to high school students,” said Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland. “John Elliott would have served his country honorably as a naval officer had he lived. Now his legacy is saving countless lives through the HERO Campaign.”

For more information on the HERO Campaign, visit www.herocampaign.org. Information on the Ocean City School District is available at www.ocsdnj.org.