Did you know that traffic fatalities have risen over 10% nationally over the past three years? Statistics also show that crash rates are nearly 3x higher for for drivers below the age of 20. Distracted driving is also on the rise among this demographic, claiming a role in nearly 60% of these crashes.
By teaming with the Unite Corporation and its Arrive Alive Tour, featuring a virtual reality-based distracted and impaired driving simulator, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan has committed to fighting this trend by educating young drivers around Michigan with the help of America's top-rated safe driving program. This partnership is built around fun events where young drivers have the opportunity to learn about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving in an engaging and immersive way.
Those participating in this simulation at Arrive Alive Tour and Farm Bureau Insurance-sponsored events sit in the driver's seat of a stationary vehicle as they interact with a driving simulation in their VR headset. While utilizing an accelerator, steering wheel, and brakes, drivers experience their virtual controls in real-time across various driving challenges. Crowds can can experience the sights and sounds of distracted and impaired driving on an external monitor, all while the driver attempts to the navigate virtual obstacles across a selection of locations and challenges projected through the VR headset.
Farm Bureau Insurance agents and the Arrive Alive Tour can be spotted across the state with this simulator at community events, school assemblies, and anywhere else there is an opportunity to educate Michigan's less experienced motorists.
"There's an old adage that says 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'," said Patrick DeGrasse, CEO of the Unite Corporation responsible for the Arrive Alive Tour. "We want to be that 'ounce of prevention' before the cure is needed."
As we explore new and helpful ways to protect our friends and neighbors from the risks of everyday life, Farm Bureau Insurance will continue to invest in programs that can help prevent tragedies before they strike. With agents statewide, all working to protect their communities, we look forward to any opportunity to make Michigan safer for everyone.