For drivers, 'Distractology 101' comes to town

By Johanna Seltz, Town Correspondent

Don’t be distracted by the big yellow trailer parked at Town Hall for the rest of the month.

It’s a mobile classroom where new drivers will get a crash course in avoiding and coping with distractions, a major cause of motor vehicle accidents. Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation is underwriting the traveling training -- dubbed the “Distractology 101 Tour.”

Two local insurance companies -- the Harrington and Dowling agencies -- are sponsoring the free 45-minute classes in Braintree.

The 36-foot-long trailer is equipped with two simulators equipped with steering wheels, blinkers, gas and brake pedals, and speedometers. The “drivers” take on half a dozen dangerous scenarios shown on wide-screen monitors as they “travel” on country roads and both suburban and urban streets.

The program is based on research by the engineering department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and includes its own vocabulary.

Eating while driving, for example, could lead to a “snackcident.” Texting while driving could lead to a “textident.” And if you’re steering with your knees because your hands are busy texting, then you’re guilty of “sneering.”

More information about the local classes is available by calling 800-331-5126 or 781-848-7652.

Johanna Seltz can be reached at seelenfam@verizon.net.