Goodyear uses VR to educate youngsters about driver distractions

Goodyear has taken the idea of using Virtual Reality to educate masses quite seriously. The tyre maker has put this technology to use to educate young people about the dangerous distractions while driving. The initiative has been undertaken by Goodyear's UK arm.

Goodyear Tyre UK, through a 360-degree game app, partnered with the Driving Instructors Association to shed light on the dangers of distracted driving on the back of research that claims 42 per cent of people in the age group of 17-25 years have used a mobile phone while driving a car. Goodyear says that 23 per cent of drivers, who took part in the survey, claimed they have either had an accident or a near miss in the last 12 months as a result of distracted driving. A tenth of the respondents said they usually log into their social networks like Facebook while driving.

The PR manager of Goodyear Tyre UK Kate Rock said the immersive experience offered by the game app puts users in the driving seat. She added that, even though in the game users can lose points if they get distracted, the real-life ramifications of such distractions can be life-altering. She observes that since one in five young drivers are involved in an accident in the first six months of passing their driving test, teaching them road safety before they even begin to drive can help them take safe driving practices seriously throughout their lifetime.

Rock concludes that VR integration was a natural next step for Goodyear to help it communicate with its core audience at the Academy while ensuring the tyre maker stays at the forefront of using latest technologies.