Students at East High School came face-to-face with the real dangers of distracted driving in a virtual reality simulation.

AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign partnered with Monroe County and AAA of Western New York to educate students about the dangers of smartphone distracted driving.

According to AT&T, nearly nine in ten people admit to texting, using social media and emailing while driving. In the simulation, students experienced a car crash and emotional documentaries.

“These aren’t necessarily just minor traffic accidents that are caused,” says Kevin Hanna, regional director of AT&T External Affairs. “These are fatal accidents; lives are changed, lives are lost. And when they see that and learn about that, it really changes their thinking.”

The campaign chose East High School for the demonstration because it’s one of the few Rochester public schools that has a driver’s education course as part of the school’s curriculum.