Union City, Tenn.–High School students across Obion County experienced what it’s like operating a vehicle while distracted with the Obion County Sheriff’s Office on its Arrive Alive tour .
In December of 2022, Captain Scott Watkins with the Obion County Sheriff’s Office contacted Patrick DeGrasse, the CEO of Unite, in hopes of getting an Arrive Alive team to visit Obion County.
UNITE is the #1 Health and Wellness Organization in the nation, and they partner with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office which provides grant funding to the Obion County Sheriff Office for traffic safety purposes. UNITE visits campuses on all levels, from elementary all of the way to colleges and other organizations. They have educational programs that are designed to heighten awareness to the dangers and consequences of drunk driving, distracted driving and texting while driving like the Arrive Alive Tour.
The Arrive Alive Tour allows for teens to get behind the wheel of a real vehicle, operate the steering wheel, gas and brake pedals while wearing a virtual reality head set. While the vehicle doesn’t really move, the virtual reality aspect allows for the driver to only see the road through the eyes of someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It also shows drivers how quickly they can veer off of their lane while looking down at their phone.
After many phone calls, emails, and visits with each high school principal, the Arrive Alive Team and the Obion County Sheriff’s Office were able to coordinate a week-long visit to our local area between stops in Alabama and Texas. The AAT set up at each high school in Obion County including South Fulton High School, Obion County Central High School, and Union City High School. At the conclusion of the event, the Sheriff’s Office and each high school will receive statistics about their students driving habits based off of their virtual reality experience.